The Tale of a Princess
by Eekhoorntjes
Summary: Oh No! The Princess gets kidnapped by Pirates! Meet the Crew, and of course, watch the Princess fall in love! Oh, and there are some strange legends they come across... Pirate-fic. It's AU-ish.
1. The Horror

**_The Tale of a Princess's Life._**

**Chapter One: The Horror**

***Author Note – Here is Chapter One of our story! It's our first fanfic, so please read it with a critical eye!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Pokémon or any of its respective trademarks. All rights for those go to Satoshi Tajiri, Game Freak, Nintendo, et cetera.***

**Here is Chapter One: The Horror**

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><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point Of View<em>**

It was seven o'clock in the morning, and I was watching the sun rise behind the apple trees. I wished I could go outside and feel the sun on my skin, instead of only _imagining_ it.

I have never felt the morning sun. I have only been outside in the afternoons, with surveillance. This is because I am the _fragile Pichu Princess_. My room is, of course, at the top floor of the highest tower in the castle.

It was impossible to go in or out of the castle without permission. There was a cannel between the garden and the tall wall surrounding our land. If someone was able to climb over the wall, they would be in for a surprise. There was a second cannel, and this one was broader than the former.

Next to being locked in my own house, I would have to do the things they _expect_ of the Princess of the kingdom, things like drinking tea with other important people, and listening to political talk, which I do not really understand.

A Princess's life was not hard, but it certainly is very boring.

There was a knock on the door. I already knew who it was, it was the maid. Of course. Because it _always_ is. She would get me dressed, and escort me to the dining room, where I would be having breakfast with my father.

As all of you already guessed, he is the king of our kingdom. He is a fair king, he chooses the best option for our country, but he does not really like me, his _daughter_, because he rather had a male heir to take the throne when he would die. But instead he got stuck with _me_.

After the maid helped me to put on the red dress, she put a lavender flower next to my ear.

She said I looked beautiful. As she always did.

I sighed, hoping that today would be different than other days – I doubted it.

I went to the dining room. When I got there, I was a little surprised, because I did not see my father anywhere.

Then a maid came in and said that my father, 'king Raichu' had an unexpected visitor, and would soon be joining me for breakfast. So I started eating my breakfast. I had almost finished my share of apples, when my father came in. He gestured me to remain seated, and started to speak.

"There has been made a request." I stayed quiet, waiting for my father to continue. This probably was not the only thing he wanted to say, right?

"Recently, Prince Elekid's fiancé passed away. The Prince has recovered from his loss, and…" Great! He did not finish his sentence. He never did, so I had to urge him to do it.

"Father, what is the Prince's request?" Just so you know, I am a curious type, I do not like waiting _and_ I do not like to keep others waiting.

"The Prince's father made a proposal. He offered me a treaty that would be the best for both our lands," he said. I got irritated, and I knew I had the worst temper after seeing a stunning sun rise.

"And what is this 'solution' for both our lands to cooperate? The history tells me it is not something small. We have been at war with them more than any other country." I got impatient, but managed to keep my cool. Hopefully my father would just answer my question.

"The proposal is for the marriage between you and Prince Elekid," he said, and if you would listen closely, there was an authority in his voice. This was no question towards me. It was already decided, and I would have to marry someone I do not know.

Tears filled my eyes, and I did the only thing I could think of. Run.

I was not on my way towards my room. That was the _last_ place I wanted to be right now.

So I ran towards the garden. This magical place was filled with all kinds of flowers, and the most important thing, apple trees.

I knew exactly where to go to. I bolted towards _my_ tree. It was the biggest tree in the garden by far, and it was visible from every point in the garden. Even from the castle!

There were no branches on the tree this low. There were branches a few meters up, but still too high for most of my kind. I was probably the only one able to climb into the tree. I made sure my dress would not get dirty when I ran up into the tree.

It was my very own tree house. _This _was my room. Although it took a while to create it, the outcome was perfect. I would end up here when everything was just too overpowering in my life.

"Uhm… What shall I do? I know! I am going to train and get stronger," I said. Did you know the result gets better when you encourage yourself out loud? I always talked to myself in my tree house.

The training went well, and I got some new tricks up my sleeve from the 'Train how to'. I am stronger than my surveillance, but my father does not know that. He thinks I am still his little daughter.

I jumped out of a window, onto a thick branch, and plucked an apple. Apples were my favourite food.

After I had finished, I sighed. I knew I would have to go back to the castle, so I jumped off the branch.

I felt sorry for Prince Elekid, I am sure he loved his fiancé… Just like I loved my mother. I wondered if the fiancé died of an incurable disease, like my mother.

"I guess he will not be happy with this 'solution' either…" My unusually green eyes overflowed with tears. All the time I was wrong. A Princess's life was not easy, it was _unfair_.

One of the guards spotted me, and ran towards me. I lied, and said I twisted my ankle. The tears in my eyes were in my advantage. He believed me immediately, because he thought I was weak.

He put me on his back, and within moments, we were back in my prison.

We were in the hallway, when Charmander, the guard, and I saw my father walking towards us.

"My daughter, I insist that you…"

He spoke too slowly, so I interrupted him. "I am going to listen to you, if it is reasonable what you are asking from me, otherwise I will not listen! That is the meaning of compromising!"

I walked up the stairs to my room, in a dignified way that always made everyone's jaw drop. It definitely helped I wore my red dress today.

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><p>The arrangements were being made the next day. The trip to the wedding location, which was at the Prince's country, would take five days at the most. We had to travel in an elegant way, to indicate that we were royals; otherwise we could have been in the Land of Yellow within two days.<p>

I already knew what I would wear at the wedding. A simple, white, knee-length dress. I looked best with undecorated dresses; nevertheless, every dress looked fine on me.

I still was not happy with this marriage. I would leave my home, my apple tree… Everything.

I grabbed al my 'Train how to' magazines to take them with me. I could not leave them behind, so I hid them under my dress.

"Princess." I was startled by this and jumped – with elegancy – and turned around. It was Charmander.

"It is time for us to leave, Princess Pichu," he whispered. I thought the reason he whispered was because he did not want to startle me again.

"Thank you for informing me. I will come with you." I gave my tree one last glance, and turned away.

"I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry," I whispered to myself. I saw the looks Charmander gave me and held back my tears.

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><p>"Pichu, do <em>not<em> stare out of the window, it is undignified," my father said. My father liked to say 'dignified', a stupid habit I took over. Now it is the word I use the most.

I looked at my feet, thinking about all kinds of things. There was not much to look at outside, because the curtains were almost completely closed. We travelled like this, so that nobody would recognize us. It would be a secret until the wedding took place…

My eyes became watery. I _should_ _not_ think about it. We were on our way, headed to the Land of Yellow. Since everyone thinks I am weak, I got myself a bodyguard, Charmander. The carriage was big enough for ten small sized Pokémon, so we had enough space with five of us.

Within a few hours, we would be at the dock to travel with a royal boat, named 'The Pearl'. They never give original names to ships, let alone _royal_ ships. I have never seen the sea, so, normally, I would be excited, but I could_ not_ be excited now. Especially with a ship named 'The Pearl'.

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><p><em>Surrounded by Pokémon who never speak<em>_  
><em>_Never walking carelessly outside the palace__  
><em>_Red in green, and shining white__  
><em>_Losing my own place, only to trade it for something foreign_

_Why me?_

_I am tired of being what you want me to be__  
><em>_I want to be more like me and be less like you_

_But that is out of the question for a Princess_

***Author Note – This story's inspiration came from the Surfing Pikachu TCG card. It is our first fanfic! Please. Give us feedback with your reviews!***


	2. Misinformed

**Chapter Two: Misinformed**

***Author Note – Hello folks! We will jump to another character today! Pikachirate the Pirate Pikachu! He is the infamous Pikachirate, and "The Lightning Shadow's Captain. We don't think anyone has heard of him yet... But we think he is awesome!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon! We only used it for our ideas! We do not own the TGC either – we have _some_ cards… - we only own the plot of this _wonderful_ story***

**We give you Chapter Two: Misinformed **

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><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point Of View<em>**

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the sky was a soft blue. I was in one of the best moods. Wanna know why? I found out about a rumour yesterday at a bar. It was about "The Golden Apple". It's the most valuable item in the _world_. It's said to be shipped to the Land of Yellow, heavily guarded.

I just wished my spy could have contacted me. Then I would have had more information. Information I would trust.

My Crew gathered around me. We were having a meeting, and, since I was the Captain, I would have to come up with a plan for stealing this "Golden Apple".

"Alright, I called you here, because we got ourselves a new mission," I started. My Crew already started to chit-chatter. They seemed… _happy_ about the new mission.

"We're going to steal the 'Golden Apple'. It's going to be shipped this night to the Land of Yellow. We're going to board the ship when everyone is sleeping. Some people will stand as lookout, and then Abra will teleport into the room where the 'Golden Apple' is located. Then he will steal 'The Golden Apple' and teleports back to the Lightning Shadow. After that I'll give the sign that Abra is back and everyone will get back to the ship before we get noticed. Understood?" I heard a loud 'yes, sir!' and then hell broke loose.

Everyone was working hard. We were lucky Chansey thought about dinner, otherwise we would starve, and as a result the mission would have _failed_. Chansey is the best pirate on my ship, and I'm lucky to have her. She doesn't fight. She heals the wounded, and that is one of the most important jobs here.

Chansey prepared, together with her student Happiny, all kinds of medical stuff. With weird, weird names…

After everything was prepared, my pirate team had to wait for nightfall. Just to be sure, we would start the mission a few hours after nightfall.

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><p>Since we had some time left, we were watching the stars. It was an unusually clear night, and the moon was, as they call it, young.<p>

The whole Crew was laughing and having fun, I included. Most of the time we were being chased, but they lost track of us. That was _one_ worry less.

Still, _this_ was my family. We all had different ideals, but fate brought us together. Now we're trying to succeed every goal of our Crew, and world peace in the world. Next to that, we didn't want to get involved in some stupid war.

"Captain," Buneary said. "A Pelipper has arrived with news from the spy in the Land of Iron."

"Let's take a look at it. Do you have the message with you?" Of course she had. She made sure every "i" was dotted, and every "t" crossed on this ship. Nothing was left unfinished when she passed by. She kinda was the strict secretary.

"Yes, sir! Our spy says that the Princess of the Land of Iron has passed away… The Land of Iron will send requests to every other country to stop the wars." I doubted that the other countries would agree to that. "The girl died of a lung-disease, which was caused by all the fights in her country. In the memory of the Princess, they want to have peace in the world. Even if it will only last a month." She couldn't keep her voice from shaking. Everyone on this ship hated the wars that raged.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," I said with a friendly smile. "Today must have worn you out." She nodded and left off to the dorms.

Now I was in a foul mood. I decided to walk around, maybe some chit-chatting with the Crew, and after that completing the mission.

First I went to Blastoise. His aim was the best, and he's busy with training two Squirtles. We're lucky to have him, since we can fight back, without taking any lives. He has saved us many times.

"How's it going, Blastoise?" I said. Even now, he was busy training his disciples. They looked tired. "Maybe they deserve some rest? After all, it is the middle of the night." The Squirtles looked tired… I think I came no minute too soon.

Blastoise agreed. "Go, there is always tomorrow to train your aim. Good night." And with that, the Squirtles scurried towards their beds, where their mother was.

"Pikachu, got any news from the spy in the Land of Leaves? I mean, you _do_ want to have your information confirmed, right?" Blastoise said. I knew damn well that it would have been better to have the information confirmed, but it is what it is.

"Sorry, Blastoise, we only got information from Spoink. It was tragic news, Buneary almost couldn't stop her tears from flowing," I started. I knew he would want to know what the news was, so I continued. "The Land of Iron's Princess passed away, and now the country has asked of at least a month of world peace in memory of her," I finished.

Blastoise had a weird look on his face I saw many times; he was trying to remember something.

"She was Prince Elekid's fiancée, wasn't she?" Blastoise spoke in a slow voice. And who was 'Prince Elekid'?

"_Who_?" I really didn't know who this Elekid was. I know, I am the _Captain_, but I don't know everything!

Blastoise sighed. "Pikachu, he's the Land of Yellow's Prince. Don't you have some kind of notebook with all the information with you?" I wanted to argue back, but Blastoise answered the question himself. "Of course not, since _Buneary_, our secretary, only trusts herself to write every detail down." I grimaced at the memory of what happened when _I_ took notes of every message.

No one was able to read it, and it was unorganized.

Buneary had different notebooks. There was one for each country, so the information would be easier to find. Next to that, she had the best brains on this ship, so she remembered every detail and made connections between the messages.

"Care to join me and watch the stars, Blastoise? It has been a while since we took a break," I stated. Although, I knew his answer already.

"Of course, I deserve a moment in peace every once in a while." We went to the deck, and were having fun. Just like the old times today.

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><p>It was finally time to start the mission. Some of the younger Crew members were starting to get nerves because they haven't had such an important mission like this.<p>

Everything looked quiet on the other ship, but, just to be sure, I sent Chatot to scout the area and look where the treasure could be hidden. After a few minutes, Chatot came back. He said that there were barely any guards on the ship.

There was a Wobuffet steering the wheel. The room at the centre of the ship was the best guarded and should contain the treasure.

I gave the signal to the crew that we would board the ship now. The ropes were thrown to the other ship. We climbed on to the other ship. The lookouts got in position very quickly, and gave the signal to Abra, so he knew he could teleport into the ship.

I saw him disappear, and began to fight together with my Crew. I didn't have to bother, because our only enemy was the _Wobuffet_ steering the wheel. Gengar took care of him within seconds. One Hypnosis, and the Wobuffet fell asleep on the floor.

Now we simply had to wait for Abra to return with 'The Golden Apple'.

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><p><strong><em>Abra's Point Of View<em>**

When I got the signal from the Captain, I started to concentrate, because I needed to come in the room at the centre of the ship. I used teleport, and the world started to twirl around me. I knew this feeling, and I closed my eyes.

I arrived in a dark room, and it smelled very strange… like _flowers_, or something similar. It confused me a little. Why would it smell like flowers? But it didn't really matter, so I continued my search for 'The Golden Apple'.

There wasn't much in the room - just a closet and a large bed – and the room was larger than I thought. There wasn't anyone sleeping in the large bed, though. I opened the closet, hoping they hid 'The Golden Apple' in it.

The closet wasn't locked, so I doubted it. I wanted to close it after I searched through it – No 'Golden Apple' - but then… _BAF_, something heavy fell on the floor, before I could catch it...

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><p><em>If a Princess has to marry a Prince<em>_  
><em>_Why is it arranged?__  
><em>_Why can they not simply fall in love, as they do in fairytales__  
><em>_It always happens, guy meets girl, girl meets guy__  
><em>_And love comes in existence__  
><em>_Why does love always cheat?_

_Love is not fair, just like life__  
><em>_Our life is not fair_

_We Princesses do things called 'Leadership'_

_We do the right thing when no one is watching__  
><em>_And get punished for doing one wrong thing among the thousand_

***Author's Note – And a cliffy! Sorry, we had to!**

**Starting next Chapter we are going to tell some short background about some Crew members! We hope you liked this Chapter! Please. Review. Correct our mistakes in the English language. It would make us happy to know what we did wrong!**

**And virtual cookies for who guesses what happens next Chapter! YAY***


	3. The Truth

**Chapter Three: The Truth**

***Author note – Tadaah! The Third Chapter is online! We would like to thank Alphinia for reviewing our story. It made us jump in joy! We will keep it in mind (^^)**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon. If we would, we would have _failed_ owning it…***

**We are thrilled to give you Chapter Three: The Truth**

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><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point Of View<em>**

I woke up, there was some loud noise. I was not tired when I opened my eyes, because I went to bed early.

At first, I did not know where I was, but then I remembered that I was on 'The Pearl'. I wondered what that loud noise was. It probably was something on the deck, but I could not check because they locked me in my room. They thought that it would be better for me if I stayed in my room. They did that for my own _safety_. As if something would _happen_ on this boring ship.

Then I realised someone was standing by my closet. It could not be my bodyguard, Charmander, because I would have noticed the flame on his tail. There was no flame on this Pokémon's tail.

I wondered who it could possibly be, so I climbed out of the bed and walked very careful – with small, soundless and elegant steps - to the Pokémon. I was almost there, when I heard a key in the lock. Suddenly the Pokémon turned around, and looked at the door. I could see now that the Pokémon was an Abra. At the same time, Charmander walked in. The time stopped for a moment.

Charmander and the Abra were staring at each other. I could not see their expressions, so I stood there, quietly, making sure not to make any sound. This Abra could still be an enemy.

At that moment, Charmander snapped back to reality and realised that I was in the room. He ran towards me, I saw a bright flash and then… There was only darkness.

I felt a bit dizzy. I had the feeling I was outside. The wind was blowing softly, and I could see stars above me.

Was I dreaming? That must be it, I must be dreaming. It could not be real, because I was on 'The Pearl' sleeping in my bed. It was a nice dream, so I kept staring at the stars, enjoying my dream. There was a lot of noise. I recognised Charmander's voice. What was Charmander doing in my dream?

I stared to the noisy place. There was a Pikachu, and he seemed to be talking to a Chansey. Charmander was talking to… I think to a Gengar. I could not see it clearly enough.

I raised my head, and saw an Abra. He was in a discussion with a Chatot…

"Abra!" I gasped. Luckily, it was not loud enough for anyone to hear it. This was no dream. Now I knew I was awake. I got up, and my temper got the best of me.

I started running towards the group at high speed. My weight worked in my advantage, there was nothing to be heard.

Lightning began to embrace me – my dress and the magazines stayed in one piece, since it was made to withstand electric attacks. I was planning to use Volt Tackle on the Gengar. I _would_ lose consciousness after the attack, but Charmander would take care of me. I could not risk using Thunderbolt. I would hurt Charmander, but it probably was _not_ strong enough to defeat these… pirates?

The light attracted attention. Each head turned to me, but I was too fast for them to stop me. Not even the Pikachu would be able to keep up with me.

I jumped - the Chatot fell on the ground because of my electricity – and hit the Gengar in the stomach. He was too slow to evade my attack, so he took the full blast.

I landed in a dignified way, and took one glance at everyone around me. The looks they gave me differed between disbelieving shock and… concern. The Chansey looked concerned at me, while Charmander's expression said disbelieve, concern, _and_ shock.

I saw that the Chatot and Gengar were knocked-out. I could not stand anymore, and fell – as elegant as I landed seconds before – on the floor.

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><p>I woke up, but, as a Princess, I trained myself to stay quiet. I listened closely, and could hear four pair of feet walking around in the room.<p>

I took one fast peek at the four, and saw Charmander talking to Chansey. Next to them stood a Buneary, who was scribbling in a notebook, and the Pikachu, closely listening to the conversation. I felt a pain through my heart.

Charmander was talking to _pirates_, who _kidnapped_ me. He did not look intimidated by them. He was _chit-chatting_. With _pirates_.

My intuition told me to close my eyes, so I did. Immediately, I felt four pair of eyes resting on me.

"I will take a look at Chatot and Gengar, now," Chansey said. And with that, she left the room.

The Buneary left the room, too. "I'll ask Abra what went wrong. I guess I'll see you two at breakfast." Pikachu and Charmander answered with simple 'okays'. They probably wanted a private conversation, and I did _not_ want them to know I was listening to it.

Charmander sighed. "Pikachu, you _know_ I would have sent you information if 'The _real_ Golden Apple' would be shipped." The Pikachu started to protest.

"Why didn't you send information about the trip, then? You'd think that the trip is important news! The noble ship 'The Pearl' was used!" I think the Pikachu needs some sleep, he got irritated pretty fast.

"I didn't know about the trip until one hour before we left. I was being watched, and, on top of that, there was no Pelipper close by. So I think I'm not the only one to blame," Charmander stated. _He_ kept his cool, and was able to reason with Pikachu. I always admired Charmander for that. He felt like the big brother I never had.

"Well, what's done is done. By the way, who _is_ this Pichu?" What? Do they not know who I am? I opened one of my eyes, to read their body language. Still, the pirates _have_ to know who I am.

I do know who this Pikachu is. He is the infamous Pikachirate. He has been described in every history book I had to read. The books never said if he and his Crew ever killed someone, so I think he did not kill anyone. Next to that, he has never been caught by the police. The only Pokémon able to find him, were new recruits. Well, that is what I read… Books can be deceiving.

Charmander sighed, yet again. "_This_ is the Land of Leaves' Princess. Princess Pichu." Pikachu looked stunned about this information. "She was on her way to be married of to Prince Elekid, whose fiancé died recently," Charmander finished.

They remained silent for a while, until Charmander spoke again. "You kidnapped someone, _without_ knowing who it was?" His voice was sceptically.

"I know! I know! We made a mistake, but we can use it to our advantage," Pikachu said. How could _this_ come to their advantage? Charmander wanted to know it too.

"How?" His eyes narrowed. "There is something you didn't tell me about, isn't it?"

Pikachu hesitated. "I'll tell you later about it. I'm going to check on the wounded Crew members, to make sure they are alright." Then Pikachu left quickly and the door slammed closed. This is my chance.

I pretended to be woken up by the noise. "Princess…" Charmander said. It was followed by a deep silence.

"Where am I? Where are we headed to?" I asked. I used my sleepy voice, so Charmander would not be suspicious.

Charmander looked away, not wanting to answer my questions. "You're kidnapped by pirates, My Princess, I don't know the details, either." He _lied_ to me. But I could do that, too.

"Charmander, I am scared. The last thing I remember was… Someone was in my room and…" I spoke in a small voice, and let the tears fill my eyes – it was easy, since I felt betrayed. Charmander fell for the act. Although, he did not know it was an act.

"Everything will be alright, Princess, we will find a way out of here," Charmander whispered. I knew he was not lying this time. Maybe he did_ not_ know everything. "Unfortunately, I have to go. I will be teleported back to the ship by these pirates, or else..." No! He did not finish his sentence.

He walked out of the room, probably preparing for teleportation. I was all alone, and Charmander did not give me any answers. He simply left me.

* * *

><p><em>Blastoise<em>

_I knew Pikachu long before he became 'Pikachirate'. I was a little Squirtle back then, and I was a fireSquirtle. The war against the Land of Flames was taking many lives, including my parents._

_I was the one who saved Pikachu out of a burning building. That was when we met, and we became best friends. We both saw the fire-Pokémon destroying our homes, our country, and our families. That was the only time I saw Pikachu cry. There was nothing left here, so we became pirates. The only lifestyle left._

_Shortly after we became pirates, I evolved. We sailed on 'The Blue Sea', and my eyes caught a green shell, floating in the water. I saved it – it was a Shiny Squirtle, who was on the edge of dying because of the lack of food – and back at the pirate ship, she woke up._

_The moment our eyes met, we fell in love. Since that moment, we would be together for forever._

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><p><em>He, a life-saver under every condition and without second thoughts, has risked his lives many times<em>_  
><em>_It paid of, though, since a friend who risks his life for you, is true__  
><em>_He is loyal and never betrays friends, and never got betrayed in return_

_She was impressed by his personality, and still is__  
><em>_She is unique, avoided because of her strange colour__  
><em>_But she makes his heart flutter__  
><em>_With her kind words, with every movement_

_She captured his hart_

_Just like he captured hers_

_The love will never fade between this perfect match _

*****Author Note - Should we change the summary? If yes, would you tell us in what it has to be changed in? Please?*****


	4. The Match

**Chapter Four: The Match**

***Author Note – Hello all!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon. We can speak a few words in Japanese, but that's all. Do the Math***

**Chapter Four: The Match **

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><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point Of View<em>**

There was something itchy on my face. It was a bit annoying. I rolled over to lie on my back. For a moment the itching was gone.

But it started again seconds later. I opened my eyes and saw clear blue eyes staring in mine. It was a Mew, and it was tickling me with a feather. _Why_ was a Mew tickling me with a feather? My morning-temper began to rise. I sat up and closed my eyes again.

For a moment I was wondering how a Mew came into the palace, but then I remembered. I was kidnapped by pirates – how could I forget that? But _what_ was this _Mew_ doing here, with all these pirates?

I did not have much time to think about that question, since 'The Pikachirate' entered the room. I glared furiously at the infamous captain. He simply stared at my face.

"You got unusually green eyes," he said. It was not exactly a compliment, but I should take it as one.

"Yes, I am aware of that." I said it with a small smile, so he would not be offended.

He looked at Mew. "Mew, breakfast is ready. Maybe you should go." Mew simply nodded, mewed a bit, and flew – while turning somersaults in the air – out of the room.

I looked at my feet. This way, he could not catch my eyes. It took all my willpower not to look him in the eye. Sadness radiated from my face, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I _think_ I lied to myself. Maybe it was not so bad to be kidnapped by pirates. It was a relief to know that I did not have to marry some stranger, now I was on this boat.

The reason for my sadness was probably the idea of being betrayed by everyone, even if they did not betray me. I could not trust pirates. I could not even trust my _bodyguard_.

Pikachirate's voice made me snap my head up, and I looked him in the eyes. "Do _you_ want breakfast? Or are you 'The Princess' who doesn't eat?" He looked at me with suspicion. I blinked once, and the sadness in my eyes was gone.

I looked down again, and spoke carefully. "I apologize. I am not hungry at the moment. Please, leave."

This 'Look! I am a Princess!-attitude started to irritate Pikachu. "I insist that you join me for breakfast." He said politely, concealing the irritating feeling.

"No," I said. "I am not hungry at the moment. So, please, leave the room."

"_Fine_, but don't go complaining to me when you're hungry." He gave me a death glare. He turned around, and walked out of the room furiously. I was finally alone.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point Of View<em>**

I couldn't _believe_ her. How could she kick_ me_ out of my _own_ room? I was drinking my milk – Chansey wouldn't give me _anything_ else in this mood – and started to complain to Blastoise.

"She was talking as if… as if she _owned _this ship! But I'm the Captain! Why does everybody keep forgetting that?" I was happy that I could talk to Blastoise about it. It was a relief. Someone else would craw under the table, but Blastoise would look at it without being prejudiced.

"Pikachu, don't forget what she has been through," Blastoise said. I thought kidnapping by us wasn't that bad… It's not like _we_ starve her to death!

"I don't care what she's been through! She has to listen to her kidnappers!" I guess I needed some more sleep… I wasn't intending on kidnapping her! It was all a misunderstanding! I think I'm going crazy in here.

Chansey walked by and stole my milk. "You have got enough milk for today," she snapped. "Maybe you should bring some food to our 'hostage', shouldn't you, kidnapper?" I knew Chansey wasn't happy about the whole kidnapping thing. Gengar was hurt badly, but would be alright after a few days of rest, and Chatot was awfully quiet now.

I hoped Chansey would forgive me soon. I didn't want to give Chansey _more_ reasons to be angry at me, so I got a plate and put some food on it. I sighed, I didn't want to see 'The _Spoiled_ Pichu Princess' again, but I had no intention in feeling Chansey's wrath, so I went to the room.

Normally, I would just enter. Now I had the courtesy to _knock_, something most kidnappers wouldn't do.

She answered, in a princess-y way. "Who is it?" I could hear her voice break, as if she had been crying. Why would she cry? We are nice pirates!

"It's me, Pikachu. Will you let me in?" I didn't think there would be a way to say no to this question, but she surprised me, yet again.

It sounded like she took a deep breath. "I am forced to say no to that. Unfortunately, I am not great company at the moment. I don't want to bother you, so, _please_, leave," she said. The end was probably through gritted teeth.

"Well," I said, while opening the door. "I'm not the best company at the moment, either, so we found ourselves a match." She refused to look me in the eye. I didn't know what game she was playing, but her intention was to let me get as little insight in her as possible. There weren't even traces of tears left on her face, not even in her green eyes. I knew for _sure_ that she was crying when her voice broke.

"May I ask what your plans with me are? Are you intending on bringing me back home, or are you going to murder me?" she asked. My lack of sleep got the better out of me, and I snapped back at the Princess.

"We have _never_ killed someone. Don't you _dare_ to jump to conclusions, simply by the word 'Pirates'. You, with your prejudices, will never understand our goal. We call ourselves pirates, since there is no other word that truly explains us." I realised that I was quite intimidating, and took one step back.

"Eat," I said, while sending her a look that said '_or else_'.

This time she looked up to me. "I am grateful for the gesture, but I really meant it when I said that I was not hungry." She spoke in a small voice, never leaving my eyes. Her body-language was… random! I was unable to put it in the right box, while I was the best 'Reader' at this ship. Her attitude couldn't have changed _that_ fast, not even someone who was trained for this kind of situation could have put that act so flawless. It was _too_ flawless.

"Princess, we both know you're playing with my mind, so, stop. It's not working." Her eyes widened for a short moment, just to return to normal again. I continued. "So, eat your food, drink your water, and stop playing games."

I shove the plate with food towards her. She _would_ eat. Even if I had to force her.

I had put different food on the plate, because I didn't know what she would prefer.

I saw her glaring at me, but she turned her glare to the plate. She was eyeing the different types of food, and her eyes lit for a second.

She grabbed the apple, and began to take small bites out of it. I started eating my biscuit rusk – like a real pirate.

She ate the apple fast – even with her small bites – like a pro. She was faster with an apple than I was with my biscuit rusk.

"You're free to take anything from the plate, if you want," I said. I was happy I didn't need to feed her with force.

"No, thank you. This apple was enough to end my hunger," she said with hard eyes. I didn't understand the whole sentence, but there was something about the apple she didn't like.

She cut me off before I could say anything. "Excuse me for a moment; I have to go to the bathroom." And with that, she stood up.

She left me sitting in my own room. It would probably take _hours_, and _hours_ before she would get back. _Of course_. She has _make-up _somewhere hidden in her dress, and…

I couldn't finish my thoughts, because she was back. So soon?

She was definitely one of a kind… Or were all Princesses like her?

* * *

><p><em>Chansey<em>

_Years ago, I was a nurse at the battlefield. I was the infamous doctor, who never let a patient die. Sure, I saved many lives with my gift. But by doing that, I let those men step back into the war. They would take the lives of men and women from other countries. I wondered if that was fair. By saving one life, I would destroy dozens._

_I wished there was more to life than destroying that of others, so I left with my daughter, I didn't want to hurt people anymore._

_We were aimless, just walking around in a city next to the ocean, when I saw a fight between pirates._

_One ship was firing cannons, while the other ship had two Wartortles, using their water gun to fight._

_The Wartortles weren't alone; there was a Pikachu, using attacks I couldn't describe to deflect the cannonballs. I admired their fighting style. They didn't take any lives. I knew I found my home, without even meeting the captain._

_The Pikachu won, but one of the Wartortles was hurt by a cannonball. I saw them getting closer to the mainland, and ran with Happiny towards the ship. _

_I said I could heal the Wartortle, and they let me help him. I asked if Happiny and I could travel with them. Their answer was yes, and I finally found the right place to use my gift._

* * *

><p><em>She is the Pokémon who heals all<em>_  
><em>_No task is impossible__  
><em>_And she uses her gift for the good_

_She is kind to others, but has a demanding tone__  
><em>_A tone used by a motherly-figure__  
><em>_She is the one who is known for 'supporting', staying at the background__  
><em>_There is nothing more important than the background for her__  
><em>_Because now she can take good care of her child_

_The young child became happy_

_Because her mother's smile never left her face anymore_

*****Author's Note – An old English system of time units said that 'a moment' is a minute and a half, ninety seconds, so Pichu _was_ back within a moment! Yay!*****


	5. The Deal

**Chapter Five: The Deal**

***Author Note – We do give some Pokémon a name, but only the younger generation. We think it wouldn't fit by the older Pokémon, who grew up with _many_ wars, as it wasn't _normal_ in those early times. Next to that, we like to thank _Shiny-Charizard-786 _for reviewing. Thank you!**

**Di****sclaimer: We don't own Pokémon. We simply use Pokémon for our story.***

**Chapter Five: The Deal **

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point Of View<em>**

It has been three days since I was kidnapped. Pikachu would not let me go outside, but Chansey said that I needed fresh air. Apparently, "The Pikachirate" is afraid of Chansey.

I was panicking. There were so many Pokémon at this ship, that the thought scared me. Sure, they were not with _that _many, but I could not deny that they were the strongest Pokémon I knew.

So I was hiding in the crow's-nest.

I was enjoying the salty wind on my skin. The two Squirtles were training below me. They were shooting flying targets with their Bubble Beam. I knew the reason, it was because it would improve their aim.

I wished that I could go training, too, but everyone on the ship was so… Intimidating, _especially_ the Captain.

I looked back at the Squirtles, _they_ did not look scary.

The Squirtles were around my age, a little younger and I think they are twins. The brother had a strange colour, just like his mother. I had heard many tails about strangely coloured Pokémon, but I never thought it was true.

I suddenly had an idea.

I climbed down – to the deck – and ran to the Squirtles. "May I practice with you?"

The Squirtles looked surprised. But, after a moment, one of the Squirtles said: "Sure, why not?"

I smiled, because they accepted me _so _fast. I was positive that we would become great friends. Although, I have never talked to Pokémon of my age.

"Let's get started, then!" said the Shiny Squirtle. "Oh, I am William by the way, and this is my twin sister, Amy. What's _your_ given name?" He seemed happy that I – finally – opened up to them.

"My mother gave me the name 'Pichu'. Most of my kind were born as a Pikachu, but I was the exception," I said shyly. _No one_ ever asked me about my name.

"Oh, we didn't want to offend you, or anything. On with the training!" began Amy. Her subject-switching was _fast_. "What attack are you going to use? It's not _all_ about strength, the point is aiming." Amy would become a great mother someday… Wait, _my_ subject-switching was fast, _too_.

I had not thought about that. What attack should I use? I could not use my strong moves, like Volt Tackle, or Discharge. I choose the attack Thunder Wave. It was fast, elegant, and hard to aim, since it was a small current.

"I am going to use 'Thunder Wave'. It is very difficult to aim," I answered.

"Okay!" The Squirtles were both ultra-happy. "Let's start the training!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point Of View<em>**

I was pondering about the Princess. I didn't know what to do with her. I have to get rid of her as _quick_ as possible.

Maybe I should just _dump_ her near civilisation, and then she can _find_ her way back home by _herself_.

But what if some _real_ pirates kidnap her when I dump her somewhere? It would be my fault if something would happen to her. So _that_ wasn't a good idea.

I was walking in circles in my room. Well, it wasn't my room anymore, it was the Princess's now.

Maybe I needed some fresh air. Yes, I need some fresh air.

So, I walked up to the decks. I saw some lightning coming from the other end of the deck.

What was that lightning, were we being attacked? No, someone would have noticed. Then I saw that the Squirtles were attacked by Pichu. Why weren't the Squirtles fighting back?

I ran toward the Squirtles, charging my Thunder. Pichu turned around, and, in a blink, she was gone… Where did she go? Without a warning, I was hit on the head. Ouch, that hurts.

"Why did you not faint!" Pichu said in a high-pitched voice. "And _why_ were you attacking me?" Different emotions were seen on the Princess's face. There wasn't enough time to name them all, but sadness was the most present.

"Because you were attacking the Squirtles with your Thunder Wave!" I snapped back.

"I was not _attacking_ the Squirtles, they were nice enough to let me train with them. We were using our attacks at flying _targets_." We started a match of death glares.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point Of View<em>**

We kept staring at each other, but then, out of the blue, Pikachu grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

Pikachu brought me to the Blastoises. They were practicing their aim, just like William and Amy. Chansey was in the room, too. I think they were catching up on… things. I got intimidated by their power, what probably was Pikachirate's intention.

He put me in a corner, I was feeling like a hostage – which I was – and was really feeling down.

Pikachu walked away, taking Chansey with him.

Pikachu and Chansey were going to talk in a room at the _other_ side of the ship. Well, that was what Pikachu said. I wondered what they were going to do with me.

I mean, the Pikachirate is more intimidating than he looks. Who _knows_ what they will do with me. He should _not _be underestimated. No one ever saw through my act. I do not think he understood everything I said and did, but most Pokémon simply thought that it was my personality.

It was the afternoon, and it was almost time for lunch. Well, I _thought_ it was almost time for lunch…

I jumped. I was not prepared and the door almost hit me, but I evaded it. Buneary walked in.

"Guys, it's time for lunch!" She skipped out of the room, and we followed. The Blastoises were looking at me with narrowed eyes. They took me as a serious threat.

This time, I would eat with 'The Crew'. I was not looking forward to lunch, it would be like an interrogation, with one suspect, and dozens who would ask questions.

I sat down between a Bulbasaur and the Gengar. I saw Pikachu on the other side of the table, sitting next to Blastoise and Chansey. I could see now that they knew each other for a long time. They were chit-chatting with the Captain, as if he wasn't that different.

The Bulbasaur started a conversation with me. "Hm… How were you able to use that _awesome_ Volt Tackle? I mean, you were too fast for the eye, and even _Gengar_ couldn't evade the attack! And everyone knows that Gengar has the best evasiveness," she said, eagerly for details. She smiled again, and continued. "I'm Esmeralda, by the way!" Too happy. Were all young Pokémon here that happy?

I had to stick with my story I provided Charmander with, so I lied smoothly - I think I lied smoothly. "I am sorry, but my memory blanched out. The only things I can remember, is that someone was standing in my room… And I woke up in a bed I did not know the next morning. Did I hurt anyone?" I said in a sweet, innocent voice.

"Yes! You hit Gengar!" Esmeralda pointed to Gengar. "With a Volt Tackle! How did you do it?" I decided to tell the truth; it was the only thing those Pokémon would believe.

"The move 'Volt Tackle' is something my family knows since birth. Not every family member has the move unlocked, but we are all able to utilize it at some point," I said. Every head was turned to me, and every pair of eyes was staring into mine.

"Ahem." The Captain attracted all of the attention now. "Listen up, everyone. We sent note to The Land of Leaves that we want a ransom for the Princess." I was stunned by the recent development of my 'kidnapping'. I never suspected that they would sell me back to my home country this soon.

And then it hit me.

It was Charmander's idea, just as much as it was Pikachu's idea. They talked about the best solution for this problem when I was asleep, and this _ransom_ was the answer.

Buneary was the first to react. "Captain, when will the exchange take place? And _why_ didn't you let _me_ write the note? We all know how bad your writing is," she said accusingly. I figured she did all the important stuff. Things like taking notes for improvement, or a note saying 'We kidnapped the Princess'.

"But I'm the Captain! Let me have my fun! And, they know my handwriting, so it was only smart to let _me _write it. Your note would have been too perfect, it needs Grammatical errors and Spelling mistakes. We're not pirates otherwise," he smirked. I did _not_ know what to make out of this. "We haven't got any answer to our note, it will take a while for them to receive it." A little extension of my time here.

Apparently, Buneary _did_ know what to make out of this. She glared, and muttered something like: "Captain should get some sleep mutter mutter he is overworked. His _mind_ is all going crazy."

Before Pikachu could say anything, another Crew member… Well, spoke. "Mew mew, mew mewwww," Mew was making vicious hand signs – no one understood them. "MEW, mew _mew_ mew _mew_ mew _mew_ mew mew _mew_ _mew_ mew mew mew _mew_ MEW _MEW_!" Mew huffed. Mew certainly was not happy about the exchange.

Pikachu sighed, and patted Mew's head. "I know you don't want to lose your play friend this soon, but it's a _Princess_. She has to return as soon as possible. If we don't return her, her father and fiancée will rage and hunt us down. Do you want that?" Mew shook her head. "Then it's a win-win situation for both teams," Pikachu finished, saying it without a doubt.

To emphasize Pikachu's logic, Buneary stated: "The Princess will bring peace to both The Land of Leaves, as The Land of Yellow, with this engagement." I was hurt by how true that was.

"But they could form an alliance against some other countries," Gengar countered, "So it is impossible to say if the world will be more at peace after the wedding." Was _this_ what that 'treaty' was about? War against other countries? I could not _believe_ what they said, but, deep down, I knew it was true.

Peace between countries made sure there would be a new war between them and others.

* * *

><p><em>Mew (Pikachirate's Point Of View)<em>

_It was a normal day on 'The Lightning Shadow'. As usual, we were playing cards below the decks. _

_Suddenly, there was a loud noise on the deck. We all went to the deck to check what caused the noise. _

_The first thing we saw when we entered, were the apples. The deck was covered with apples. _

_They were everywhere._

_We looked at the barrel where the apples where until seconds ago. It was empty. _

_We heard someone grin, and looked up. We saw a Mew, it was wearing an eye patch. Wait a sec… That was my eye patch! How did she get that? _

_Mew flew around a bit more, knocking things over in the progress. We tried to catch her, but she was too fast. So, after a while, we just gave up. _

_Mew stayed. We still don't know how Mew got here, or why she stayed. I guess we will never know. _

* * *

><p><em>She is as curious and playful as she is mystical and wanted<em>_  
><em>_Always being chased, no matter where she is__  
><em>_Never understanding why they where playing 'Tag' that rough_

_Friendless, wandering around aimlessly__  
><em>_Never saying a word__  
><em>_Never having someone to say a word for the first time_

_Until she found someone alike__  
><em>_The best friend in another No-Form_

_He understood what she meant precisely__  
><em>_She understood what he meant exactly_

_They were both happy for the first time_

***Author Note! – We decided, that Mew can't speak anything, besides Mew mew mew. That is because Mew is a "Transform"-Pokémon!**

****Mew _can_ understand what everyone else is saying, but just can't speak it herself. And yes, we made Mew female. It _is_ Alternate Universe, right? End Author Note!*****


	6. Paranoia

**Chapter Six: Paranoia**

***Author Note – This Chapter is pretty long… And to think that even the plot of Chapter Seven was written with Chapter Six… Yes, we wrote some things down on paper, when we were travelling with the car.**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon.***

**And here is Chapter Six: Paranoia **

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point Of View<em>**

It was around midnight, and my problem? I could not sleep. I was in a comfortable bed, but my thoughts kept me from sleeping.

Maybe the Crew members were right. I would be bringing some peace to my country by marrying the Prince of another, but, at the same time, I would get my country in a bigger, more destructive war.

Not that I knew there was war raging _through the whole world._ I was protected from the outside in the palace - although they could not take the history books away - so I was not aware of the wars raging through the whole world.

Some might say that the treaties between countries would be better than no treaties, but I disagree.

The reason was easy. More countries would get involved with each other in a good way by treaties, until there were only two groups left, standing as enemies from different sides.

They would try to destroy each other, and the innocent followers would watch their world fall apart.

And the leaders would not even see it, leading the county to its end without a second thought.

I jumped out of bed. I had to think of something else, as long as it was not about the war.

At first, I only walked in circles. I could not go outside, because the door was locked, so I was forced to stay in the room. I got frustrated, and my eyes caught faint light. It came from the _window_.

I gave myself a facepalm for not seeing it earlier and made my way to the window.

I sat down at the round windowsill, my small form enabling it, and stared at the Moon. The Moon was in its First Quarter, but, since there were no clouds, it was very clear.

My hand felt wet. I looked at it, but it was bleary. Looks like I was crying, and still am. I leaned heavily against the window, trying to suppress my tears...

That was when I fell down.

I grabbed the ropes in a reflex. I held onto it with all my strength. I wanted to jump back in the room, but a loud 'Clunk' told me that was impossible.

I climbed up – using my apple tree experience in climbing – and landed on the deck. I walked for a bit, trying to find someone, but there was no one to be seen, so I went downstairs.

I was getting desperate. It was dark here, and I _still_ could not find anyone. It was a pleasant temperature, but just seconds ago, the air turned ice-cold. I began to shiver.

I tried to see in the darkness, but could only see a reflection of… myself. I really need some sleep, because _no one_ on this ship wore the exact same dress as I do. So it _must_ be a reflection.

"What are you two doing here?" Was that Gengar? "Wait… Oh! You're supposed to be locked in the room!" Definitely Gengar. He said in a louder voice: "The Princess is trying to escape!"

_Escape_? Well, that would be _great_. Unfortunately, I cannot swim, so that is out of the question…

* * *

><p>I sat up. Huh? When did I lie down? One moment, I was standing with Gengar and… me, and I was in bed the next. There were many question marks in my head. Did I have a black-out?<p>

I looked around, and saw that I was back in my 'prison'. There was a hammock in the corner of the room… And Pikachu was staring at me – with dark bags under the eyes _and _bloodshot eyes – while tightening the ropes of the hammock.

Pikachu's stare became a glare. "You're not going to be able to escape _again_, Princess." This threat became a little useless, since it was followed by a loud and long yawn.

"Esca…" I started, but Pikachu began pointing towards me, and interrupted me.

"No! I wasn't finished! You are underestimating my Crew, and especially me! First, you infiltrated, by becoming 'friends' with the Squirtles," he said in a tone that made very clear that he did not like it. "I wouldn't be surprised if you would snatch away Blastoise, too!" I could see sparks coming from his cheeks. "But I'm not going to allow that to happen, no, no! I'm going to make _sure _that you're under watch, twenty-four seven, until the exchange takes place."

"B…" Maybe Pikachu's reflexes grew more with the less sleep he got. I only said _one_ letter of the alphabet.

"Don't you have a reputation? Princesses need to wait for the other Pokémon to be finished. And, honestly, I wasn't finished. Your manipulating game won't work for me, and I will protect my Crew, my family, from you." The reflexes were better, but his ability to think _clearly_… Became zero.

Pikachu's eyes became unfocused. "Mmm… It _was_ pretty smart to do it in the night. Either you wouldn't be caught and were free, or you would make sure _I_ was woken up, worsening my sleeping condition. Well over thought, yes…" And with that, his eyes closed, and he fell on the floor.

The impact on the floor woke him up, yes, but he thought – of course – that it was I who made him fall asleep.

"What did you do? Can you make Pokémon asleep, _too_? I can't believe it," he whispered. He was unaware of his volume. He probably thought he was yelling at me. Next to that, he was getting _paranoid_.

His eyelids closed again, but snapped open when I started to speak. "With all do respect, _sir_, _I_ was _not_ the one that made you fall asleep. You simply fell asleep _while standing._ Apart from that, I fell _out of the window_, and could not climb back into the room. I was trying to find one of the Crew members. When I found one, I was _back_ in this room, which I still do not understand."

His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Why should I believe you? If you answer the next question, I might believe you. _Why_ didn't you escape when you had the chance?"

I sighed at his question. To be honest, I was embarrassed about the reason, and remained silent.

"So you don't have an answer to that question, huh?" The huh became a loud yawn.

I had to answer him, so I told the truth. "I am unable to swim. So I _could not_ escape, even if I wanted to. Are you _happy _with that?" I snapped at him. I could not keep my cool, so I decided to push my luck a bit further. "It was my first time at the sea, and I was _abducted_ by pirates. One light point with the abduction, I became friends with Pokémon of my age, but a certain _Captain_ thought it was dangerous for his _whole_ Crew if two Pokémon became friends." Pikachu was silent. I continued. "And do you _really _think I am able to make you sleep? I am a Pichu! Pichu's cannot use Sing or Leaf Whistle!"

Pikachu gave an answer. "And you're unable to use Hypnosis?" Pikachu shook his head. "Just so you know, Gengar used Hypnosis on you. He _knew_ how dangerous you could be, so he made sure you couldn't attack. That's what caused the black-out of yours."

It probably was true… I calmed down, and thought of the best possibility in our discussion. "I think it would be smart to get some sleep… I do not want to be accused again for making you fall asleep." I lied down, and tried to get some sleep.

Pikachu jumped in his hammock, and fell asleep immediately. I closed my eyes and drifted to The Land of Dreams…

* * *

><p><em>Buneary<em>

_Before I joined Pikachirate's crew, I was an accountant at a castle. _

_I was a brilliant accountant. So brilliant that I also became the personal assistant of some important general soon after. _

_He treated me very badly. But I endured it. Until some day he came back from a mission. A mission where he murdered and robbed a whole town. _

_I was so mad, but I couldn't do anything against it. He needed me to embezzle the money. I began to panic. I knew that he knew, I knew too much. So, when the job was finished, he would kill me. He didn't suspect me from knowing that, but I knew. _

_I still embezzled the money. But then I packed my stuff and ran away - with the money, of course. I went to the woods. _

_There was a farmer who gave me a lift to a nearby Fishermen's town. I thought I was save there, and I relaxed... _

_But after a few days, some guards from the castle came to look for me. The whole town was surrounded. I ran towards the dock and saw a ship named "The Lightning Shadow" and stopped in my tracks. I knew the ship would sail today. _

_I also knew it was a pirate ship, but it was my only chance of escape. So I went aboard and hid there. _

_After a few hours the ship left off. I waited a few hours before I went to the deck to search for some food. I was certain that one of the Crew members would find me, eventually, but that was a fact._

_I was glad that I took my notebooks with me; I wrote all the important details down – I had information about the Crew members and information about other countries in our world. I knew a lot about the secrets in our world._

_I knew that this ship was not a pirate ship for one hundred percent. That detail saved my life that day. I took a life-lesson out of that._

_Make notes of everything, because detailed information saves lives._

_When they found me, they became mad at first. The Chansey was kind towards me, and persuaded the Pikachu. I gave them the money, knowing they would use it for the best._

_And after I saw the Captain's handwriting and notes, I couldn't help but to promote myself to secretary of the ship._

* * *

><p><em>Having done many good things for the wrong team blindly<em>_  
><em>_A switch took place__  
><em>_She went to the right team, continueing her good work_

_Valuable for most Crew members, not only for the money__  
><em>_But most of all for her organisation and the warmth she radiated towards others_

_Seen by some as a traitor__  
><em>_Most saw her as the heroine_

***Random Extra Author Note/Story! – Listen to 'Soundscape to Ardor'! It's a song that displays the emotion of Buneary's story... Oh... It's _not_ extra... Sorry. Or is it? Here is an additional scène that belongs with the story. But the Chapter got a bit too long. And we wanted to give Buneary's story…***

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point Of View<em>**

The light from the window was touching my face. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around. The bed was empty. I lay in a _hammock_.

Oh no! The Princess is gone! I jumped out of bed – I mean hammock – and started to run.

I saw the Pichu Princess skipping happily on the deck. Not what a Princess would do when she attempted to escape. _Why_ was she skipping?

"Hey, Princess!" I yelled. She ignored me, and continued skipping. I grabbed the Princess by the arm so she would look at me.

She looked at me with a strange look. Why is she looking at me like that? Then she smiled and hugged me.

She _hugged_ me. Why was she _hugging_ me?

Suddenly, there was a blue glowing light and the Pichu Princess transformed into... Ditto?

"You... The Princess?" I asked in confusion.

"Ditto, Ditto." Ditto made weird movements. It _really _didn't make sense. So I went to lie down – on the floor – maybe I was dreaming.

It was a sign…Yes, I had to apologize to the Princess. Then, the Princess would hug me, like Ditto did…

Jeez, could the Paranoia just stop? I don't want the Princess to hug me!

Or do I…?

***Author Note – This was the extra long Chapter! We hope you enjoyed it!***


	7. Let's Party!

**Chapter Seven: Let's Party!**

***Author Note – We liked the last Chapter. . . Unfortunately no one else thought it was worth reviewing. :( We haven't written a single word for two weeks. We don't know if we go the right way, or the wrong way. We're feeling really emotional. Please enjoy this Chapter. It was really fun to write.**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon. We don't own Sweet Goodbyes from Krezip, either, but we _do _own… computers, and stuff…***

**We give you... Chapter Seven: Let's Party!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point Of View<em>**

It was morning and the Crew was sitting at the breakfast table. I was talking to Chansey. She spoke a sentence I didn't want to hear. "You are too stressed, Captain. Maybe you should go rest in your room." She saw my objection, and continued with a soft, demanding voice. "Blastoise could take over the command for a while?" she suggested.

At that exact moment Blastoise came in. "What are you talking about?" he asked. Chansey answered before I could.

"I think the Captain needs to relax a little." She was nodding her head a bit.

"I know what we should do," Blastoise began. "We can throw a party!" He said it as if it was the best idea of the Century. "Then we can celebrate the Princess's kidnapping, because she… she… she is the sunshine of our lifes!" he finished, glad to have found a reason for the party.

I glared at Blastoise for saying such nonsense, but Chansey clapped her hands together in joy. "That is a _great_ idea! I wonder why we've never done that before!" she said. Probably believing that Blastoise's idea _was_ the best idea of the Century.

I answered with my first thought. "We never threw a party, we won't now and _never _will. By the way, we've never kidnapped a Princess _before_, so we couldn't have thrown a party _at all_."

Their faces fell at my – truthful – comment, but their eyes lit seconds later.

"We're going to vote! Even the Princess can vote, but you can't," Chansey said. But I'm the Captain! And this is _my _ship, and _my_ rules, so _I_ am the only one that can vote.

Chansey ignored my circle of thoughts, and started to speak. "Attention, please." All eyes were on her. "We are going to vote for a party. Those in favour, raise your hand." All hands raised, even _Ditto's _hand.

"I got Veto-right! I'm against it!" She couldn't ignore me, I'm the Captain!

She answered me. "I'm sorry, Captain, but as your nurse, I have to say that you're in _no condition_ to vote. The party is your medicine." I couldn't go against it. _Why_ did I let her stay at the ship again?

* * *

><p>Everyone was working on the party. I wasn't, so I went to my room.<p>

I opened the door… and WOOSH.

There were, like, _thousand_ balloons. Where did they come from?

I heard someone grinning. It was Mew - of course – who else would get balloons on a ship on short notice?

I saw that Mew was jumping from balloon to balloon… I felt a current running through the air, and there was something yellow…

The Pichu Princess was _buried_ under the balloons. I had to save her, otherwise Blastoise would throw a 'Party' with the Theme 'Death by Balloons'.

Mew was waving with a sharp sword – inches from my face – and pointed towards the Princess. She had planned this all along.

I took the sword, and hit some balloons with it. The Princess was panting heavily, and looked at me with eyes that said 'Thank you'.

I knew what I had to do, so I sighed. "Pichu, I owe you an apology. I just didn't get enough sleep last week, so I was… a bit cranky."

I started slashing some more balloons. Just because I can. "Do _not _hurt the balloons. They got nice colours," The Princess said. I stopped. She continued. "Where are those balloons for, anyway?"

I grunted. "We're throwing a party, to celebrate your kidnapping." She looked surprised.

"Whose idea _was_ it? That is not a _reason_ to throw a party," she questioned.

"It doesn't _matter_ whose idea it is." I said. I didn't want to betray Blastoise nor Chansey. She was still panting. "Let's get you some fresh air." We went up to the deck.

That was when shock came.

"What have you done to _my_ ship!" I jelled. There was a _fire_ at the centre of the deck. Don't they know that's _dangerous_? And there were several, fluffy, pink things covering the railing of the ship. It looked ridiculous.

The young Squirtles heard my reaction. "But that are the stuff _all_ parties have," Amy said.

William finished the sentence. "Why can't _we_ have the party-stuff?" Party-stuff? Really, no one knew what it was?

"How would _you_ know, you've never been to a party." I snapped back. I was surprised by William's reaction. But I was focused enough to see the problems on _my_ ship. "Now, _put out_ that fire."

"But, Captain..."Amy started. I interrupted her.

"_Put out that damn fire_!" the Squirtles started putting the fire out, listening to my every word.

I sighed, and pinched my… nose bridge – I don't _have_ one – and closed my eyes.

Pichu began to speak. "Why are Amy and William using Bubble Beam on a Ditto…?" She was puzzled. I didn't even realize that _Ditto_ was the fire, but who would?

I sighed. _Why_ was my Crew crazy? She continued speaking. "Did the Ditto transform into me?" Her eyes widened by the realisation. She was quick.

I answered the unasked question. "Ditto likes to transform into things, Pokémon… He is the back-up. If we need an item or someone to infiltrate, or a _second_ nurse, Ditto transforms in it." She looked at me with interest. I was giving some valuable information away about this ship and its Crew. I had to be more careful with my words.

She smiled. "Thank you for putting your trust in me. I am no longer feeling as a hostage, even if I am, so, thank you." I made her smile. _That_ was an accomplishment.

Our moment was ruined by party attributes. All the balloons were now on the deck, and many, many more party items.

"Let the party begin!" Chansey said in a loud voice. Everyone was cheering – it was their first party – and was jumping. They looked around soon, because there was no music.

"Where is the music?" William began.

"There's no party without music," Amy finished. Everyone stared at Ditto, who was chit-chatting with Mew. They could talk with their hands, tails… and weird body-movements.

Ditto understood soon enough, and transformed in an instrument. I was shocked. It was _my_ instrument – hidden, deep in the closet, but still hidden – and I suspected a certain _Mew_ to have shown it to Ditto.

The guitar came my way – it was _hopping_ and saying 'Ditto! _Ditto_, Ditto!' – and stopped right in front of me. The Princess observed the instrument. She said her question out loud.

"Do you use your electricity for the sound?" She was quick to catch on to that. Not many knew that from first sight.

I grabbed Ditto and nodded. "That's right. Are you familiar with the technique?" I started to play, and the Crew started to jump up and down. They were even asking each other for a dance.

"I have read about it in some books, but I did not know it was possible," she said in an admiring tone. Ditto was humming along with the music, giving it a nice background sound.

Chansey was dancing with Happiny, Esmeralda, and Chatot. I saw Blastoise dancing with Blastoise on the other side of the deck, and Amy and William were running around them. Sneasel, who steered the ship, was dancing with Buneary. They all seemed… _relaxed_. I guess I didn't give them enough time off…

Oh, and Mew was flying in front of us, all the while communicating with Ditto. It was not easy to play on a guitar who wanted to _hop _away. But I still played flawless.

Pichu and I sat for a while, maybe an hour, or even longer. I was playing the music, and she was listening intently, while watching the sun set.

Buneary tapped my shoulder. "Do you mind if I play _one_ song? That way, you can have a dance on the deck," she said. I was glad it wasn't my guitar. I wouldn't have given it to someone else otherwise.

"Can you play it, then? I mean, you can't use electricity for the sound…" She waved my excuses away.

"You know, just like _I_ know, that it works fine without the electricity. The sound will be a bit softer, but the song is supposed to be soft." She winked. I gave her Ditto, and saw that Buneary put something on the strings, making them shorter.

I couldn't let the Princess sit all party long, so I asked her for a dance. "Pichu, do you want to dance with me?" Her green eyes looked at me, and I saw her blush for a second. She stood up – still wearing her white dress from when she was kidnapped – and took my hand.

Buneary started to play. I could hear Amy, Happiny and Chansey sing, with a voice telling all the emotions in the song. I remembered that the song was called 'Sweet Goodbyes' from Krezip.

We were dancing around the deck slowly – I didn't really know how to dance – but I managed to make a round on the deck. Probably because Pichu knew how to dance, and made sure I didn't make big mistakes…

Pichu began talking to me, so I paid attention. "Thank you for the dance. I really enjoyed it." She was staring at her feet, uncertain to meet my eyes. "It was also my _first _dance with someone, so I will remember it." Her _first _dance? But she danced like she never did anything else!

"Your _first_ dance?" I raised an eyebrow – or some skin in my case – and stared at her.

She met my eyes while answering. "Yes, I only knew the theory about the dances from books, but I never performed one." She got all the information from books. I got all my information through experience.

Buneary gave Ditto back. I thanked her for giving me a dance, and played again. Pichu and I talked for a few minutes. Our conversation ended when she said: "I am sorry, but I need to go to bed. Goodnight and sleep tight."

She left, and I was glad that Chansey and Blastoise threw the party against my will.

* * *

><p><em>Gengar<em>

_I was a young, little Gastly, and had to infiltrate in other countries. It was easy, and my experience grew. I became a Haunter because of it._

_My superiors gave me more and more work. I had to steal, too. It was easy, since my evasiveness was one of the best._

_A year went by. I got a reputation, although no one knew what I was. My nickname was 'The Invisible Thief'. _

_After a while, I got a mission assignment. To steal a life. I didn't protest. I went, but when I stared in the eyes of the little Eevee, I couldn't do it._

_A failure meant fired._

_So I started taking jobs as a mercenary. I travelled all over the country and sometimes over sea. Until one day I met a Buneary who hired me as a trainer for three months._

_I worked hard on the ship, and the three months were over in no time. I really liked the ship and all the people on it, so I decided to stay. _

* * *

><p><em>He was the one who could not take an innocent life<em>_  
><em>_After being the thief, he was in no need for mischief anymore__  
><em>_Now he is free, free from the sin_

_Never would he go back to that life again_

_Now he would try to make Kami forgive his mistakes_

_By doing the right thing__  
><em>_By helping ending the war_

_And never hurt anyone ever again_

***Author Note… – Hello folks! This was the Chapter! We hope you enjoyed it, and that you will read the next Chapter, too! And the next and the next…***


	8. A New Bond

**Chapter Eight: A New Bond**

***Author Note - Hello, and welcome at Chapter Eight! Oh, the Romance is in the story... sigh. We hope you like this Chapter! Thank you for the review, we appreciated the effort you put in it. I also liked Kirby!**

**Disclaimer: We do _not_ own Pokémon. We repeat. We do _not_ own Pokémon. If you think we _do own it_, read our Disclaimer again until you think we don't own it.**

**Chapter Eight: A New Bond **

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><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point Of View<em>**

It was around midnight, and the party was finally over.

At a certain time, the Squirtles started using the balloons as training targets. Mew thought she should teleport _more_ balloons to the ship. _Every inch_ of the ship is now covered in balloons.

But that was a problem for tomorrow. I was looking at the stars at the moment. They worked in a really calming way. I had – finally – the time to _really_ think about the whole situation.

Chansey was right, I _did_ enjoy the party. Especially the dancing part. Pichu was a real good dancer. It was nice to dance with her.

Come to think about it, I would miss her when we would exchange her for the ransom. But it was the only option.

A life on a pirate ship was very dangerous, it wasn't a life for a Princess.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Pichu's Point Of View<strong>_

I just left the party, and was heading towards, well, Pikachirate's and my room. The reason I left, was because it was late.

The problem was, I had too much energy left from the thrill of my first party – even if it is to celebrate my kidnapping, so the reasons were doubtful – and I had a great time.

I enjoyed listening to the songs that Pikachu played at the party. We did not even _talk_. I was lost in the beautiful melodies so much, that the time flew. The sun was long gone, before I even realized it.

The best thing was probably when Buneary took Ditto over. Dancing with Pikachu, on that song… was wonderful. I was even surprised that Pikachu _could_ dance. I wondered where he learned that.

A thought came to me. Pikachu _could_ be charming, when he wanted. A blush surrounded my red cheeks. Well, he was less intimidating when he was not mad me.

Thinking about Pikachu made me feel… I could not describe it. He was really intimidating _most of the time_, but his other side was kind… and caring…

I really had _too_ much energy. _Way_ too much.

I did not know what to think anymore. And, since I could not sleep, I started to walk around the room.

I was walking, and walking… I sighed. I needed something to focus on. My gaze crept up, and I was looking at the sky through the window. I began staring at the sea.

But I could not see the sea through the balloons.

The balloons all had bright colours, radiating joy. And the way they were… moving across the water… It was _really_ hypnotizing.

I guess I was losing track of the time because of it. Must have. Because in an instant Pikachu was in the room. I had no clue how.

"Sorry for slamming the door, it just closed by itself," he whispered softly. I became confused. He just spoke… so _sweet_.

"Um, what time is it?" I asked. I really lost track of the time. A Princess should not lose track of the time…

He looked around, I did not know _why_, because there were no clocks in his room. "It must be around three in the morning," he answered, still looking around aimlessly.

"Okay… Maybe I should go to bed, then…" I said. His head jerked towards me.

"Weren't you already? Around _four hours ago_?" he said suspiciously. I hesitated. I did not know what to say. I could _not_ say that I was thinking about _him_. It would be awkward.

I glared. "I woke up. Since _you_ slammed the door, you _idiot_!" I said angry, and with a small undertone saying 'Do not answer, you idiot!'

He did not speak the language of glares, so he protested. In an _accusingly_ tone! "But you were already standing by the window!" He raised his voice. "That means you were awake!"

I frowned. "No, I was not."

He put his arms on each other. "Yes, you were."

I closed my eyes in frustration, and hissed. "_No, I was not_." This _idiot_, how can he even be _Captain_? "So if you would excuse me, I am going to bed. Goodnight." I raised my head, and walked to the bed with small, elegant steps.

I leaped into the bed, and put the covers over my head. Pikachu could not see my face this way, but I could not see his, either.

I knew it was un-Princess like, but, at the moment, I could not care less. Pikachu grumbled a few things - I could not specify what he said - and jumped in the hammock.

There was silence.

I was still filled with energy, but if I would make a movement, he would know I was awake. At least, if _he _was awake. Since I had nothing to do, I counted from zero to _nine hundred_. Only fifteen minutes had gone by, which meant I could continue counting.

The counting did not help. I just _did not get tired_. I lost the count many times, so I just gave up. I would have to think up of something else to kill the time.

I wanted to give myself a face palm. Why did I not think of my _kidnapping_? And the _exchange_? I would be back in my country soon, only to leave moments later for The Land of Yellow. I did not even know if my country sent note back. But I was assured that they would. My father would reason that it is the best option for the country. And then I would have to leave 'The Lightning Shadow'.

They only had me for the money - accidently, but it was true - and I found out that Charmander was a spy. Since Charmander was - is - a spy for the pirates, he is probably a lot stronger than I am. I sighed, I was bad at reading Pokémon.

I threw the covers back, and got out of the bed, making sure I did not make any sound. I headed to the door, and tried to open it - it was locked. I thought about the hide place for the key, but, as I already said, I am bad at reading Pokémon.

So I used my only way out. I took one suspicious glance at Pikachirate - he was sleeping - and I pushed the window open. It went easy, just like the first time. I snatched the blanket before jumping to the rope. I climbed up to the deck, and ran around. It was odd, as there was no one. _No one_.

I could only see the water in the moonlight, surrounding us. I was a bit disappointed, since it would have been the perfect escape. I looked up, towards the shining Moon. I could see many stars, giving some light in this early morning.

I lied down onto my blanket, and put the covers around me. I was naming every constellation I saw, it was comforting to have something known with me. I was feeling down, again. But I was certain that I was happier here, than I would be in The Land of Yellow.

"Hey, Pichu, what are you doing out here?" My heart started to race, but I was glad it was not Pikachu. I looked at Buneary, standing there like a perfect secretary. She did not look sleepy at all. She continued. "I thought I would be the only one here..." She went through her notes, not even seeing the words.

I coughed. "I could not sleep, so I climbed out of the window. I did not want to stay in that room for another second." She nodded, she even looked up from her notes.

"There's no need for tears, Pichu," she said, as she handed me a handkerchief. The tone she used was comforting. I blew my nose, and she gestured me to go down the deck. I walked next to her, and she did not see me as 'The Princess'. She saw me as Pichu. We entered her small room, but I felt more at home _here_ than I ever felt in my old room, in the castle.

"Well, you can sit on the bed, since I only have one chair. My workplace is not here, so I never needed more," she uttered. She moved her chair, stood on it, and picked a key from a top shelf. She opened a drawer, and looked for something in the back of it. "Sorry for the wait, but I got something for you. It will make life here more interesting, and you can look back at your time here." She held yet another notebook in her hands. But this notebook had a lock on it.

It was beautiful. It was a soft red, and had different coloured flowers with an irregular pattern on it. She gave me a white pen, and to my surprise, I even liked the pen. I did not like the colour white most of the time. I thanked her. "Thank you, Buneary. This is the best present I ever got," I said. I was grateful, I never had anything that could defeat this present.

She smiled. "You're welcome. Shall we go to the crow's-nest? The warmth never leaves it, and you can get your inspiration from there." She gave me a choice. And I was thankful for that.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point Of View<em>**

I sat up quickly, just like I did days ago. But it was now in the afternoon. After a _party night_. I was sure that no one else took some responsibility, because everyone partied last night. I got out of the hammock, and saw that our hostage was gone. Again. Why does she tries to escape so often? It is _annoying._

I drank some water, just because I was thirsty. I looked around in _my_ room, and saw that my blanket was missing. I sighed, as it would not be the first time that Mew stole something. I unlocked the door, and went up to the deck. I was one of the few who went to bed early. My Crew was still asleep, but I didn't feel the urge to wake them up.

There is my blanket! I ran towards it in joy, it has kept me warm so many times... I was just happy to see it back sound and safe.

But Mew didn't do that. It must have been someone else. I looked around again, trying to find someone... But I didn't find anyone. I went to the kitchen, hoping to see one of my Crew, but they _really_ stayed up too late. I was disappointed, and started to feel... Friendless.

When I got back at the deck, I heard a sound. It was coming from the crow's-nest, and Pokémon were speaking in high tones. I went up to it, but I didn't make it to the top. A notebook made sure of that.

"Captain! What are you doing here? We were busy with giggling, and talking about girl stuff! Don't you even _dare_ to listen to our conversation _ever again_!" Buneary was fast, already standing next to me. "You didn't think that I would be like _you_ and stay in bed 'till the afternoon? I'm the _secretary._ I got a reputation, even more than you have." She and I were at the same place. No one respected us. Okay, I'm way overreacting, but they don't know how hard it is!

I raised my hands in defence. "Sorry, I didn't accuse you of anything, so don't make any assumptions," I answered smoothly. She sighed.

"Fine, I'll check the messages that came in at night," she said, and tried to walk away. I didn't let her.

"What do you mean, didn't you see them already? You were already awake, weren't you?" Or was she sleepwalking? It's plausible...

She shook her head. "I was keeping Pichu company." I turned my stare at Pichu, who was waving. Like Mew would do.

"Well, I will leave you two alone, then." She was gone with that sentence.

Pichu didn't stop with waving, and I wasn't sure of what to do. So I stared. Finally, she spoke. "Good afternoon, Captain. Have you slept well?" She looked at me expectantly, eager for an answer.

"Uhm, yeah, I slept just like normal." I finished our conversation with that. I really didn't know anything to talk about.

She looked away, and focused her gaze at the sea. I was just standing, hoping for _someone_ to break this silence.

It was Buneary who broke it. "Captain! We got an important message back! It's from The Land of Leaves. They agreed to our terms, and want a neutral location for the exchange to happen."

* * *

><p><em>Esmeralda (Pikachirate's Point Of View)<em>

_I remember the day when we found our youngest Crew Member, Esmeralda._

_There was a storm at sea, a very dangerous one, but we managed to survive it. Days after the storm, we saw a ship, floating on the quiet water. We decided to board the ship and look around, only to find one thing left unbroken._

_An egg. We brought it back, feeling sorry for the other Pokémon who were on the ship, but we saved one of them._

_Chansey took care of the egg, together with her daughter, Happiny. We didn't have a Fire-Pokémon at the ship. They could not survive if they fell in the sea, so they became spies. We didn't know how Chansey made the egg hatch, but she did._

_A cheerful Bulbasaur hatched from the egg, and ran around. Mew was being kind towards it, and played games with it._

_This Bulbasaur was a born pirate._

* * *

><p><em>A Pokémon born at sea, standing firmly on the deck<br>She is the pirate without pain from the outside_

_The only home she ever knew, was 'The Lightning Shadow'  
>No one ever hurt her, she was the innocence of the ship<em>

_If you ask a Crew Member about it, they would phrase it like this_

_She walks around blindly, being the sun that shines_

***Author Note - That was it for this week, guys! This chapter was finished at 1:30 AM so there could be some mistakes in them that need to be changed. Next to that, I wave more when I'm tired, so what Pichu does isn't weird, she is just ultra-happy tired. We would be happy if someone would review, as we get inspiration for the next chapters. Sorry for what we said last week, but we really felt down, as it was one of our favourite moments. (^_^)***


	9. Daring

**Chapter Nine: Daring**

***Author Note - Hello guys! I wasn't really motivated to write the start of this chapter. So I wrote legends for around two and a half _hours_. And then I started writing the start, I was feeling lonely downstairs. No one was there. Everyone from scouting was sleeping, even Orange. And I wasn't. I guess I was Buneary, and the rest of my group was The Crew... I only wrote forty words that morning, but still. It was a start ( ^ ^')***

**Disclaimer: For the Ninth Time! We do _not _own Pokémon! REPEAT! We do not own Pokémon.**

**Chapter Nine: Daring **

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point Of View<em>**

I looked at Buneary. I did not realise that this would happen this soon.

Pikachu picked himself up faster than I did. "Thanks, Buneary. Where is the point of exchange?" I thought he forced himself to speak with a controlled voice, but I could be judging it wrong.

She said it immediately. "They suggested Plaza del Catans, in The Land of Dragons." Pikachu moved his head a bit, and sighed.

"Fine, I am going to take some breakfast," he murmured.

Buneary shook her head. "Lunch, you mean. It is already three in the afternoon. I have no idea why the rest is still asleep."

"It's a lesson for next time, don't party 'till morning," Pikachu huffed. He forgot his hunger, as he made no movement.

Buneary turned around. "Do you want to help wake up the rest of the Crew?" I hesitated. But I knew I wanted to be outside - even if it is on a ship - so I declined.

Buneary walked away, and the awkward silence between him and I was heavy. To my own surprise, I was sad about leaving. I started having a liking to most Pokémon.

Chansey and Happiny were very kind towards me, and Gengar was being nice to me. He _was _angry, because Ditto transformed in me all the time. And Mew... Was Mew. That is all you need to know.

And I found a friend in Buneary this night.

I was asked a question, but I did not hear it. "Could you repeat that, please?" I managed to say.

He turned a bit red. Why would he turn red? "What size is your dress?" He looked away from me when he finished his question.

I was stunned. "Why would you want to know that?" Yes, why _would_ he want to know that? It is personal!

"Well, we won't trade you looking like that, will we?" I looked at my dress, it was looking a bit filthy. Oh no. Pikachu was right. I was not looking like the elegant, dignified princess that I was when I left The Land of Leaves. Pikachu continued. "Are you going to answer the question, or what?" he asked impatiently.

I sighed. "It is extra small, could you not _guess_ it?" He ignored the last part.

"Okay, thanks. I'm going to help Buneary with the whole Crew-waking, so... See you later," Pikachu said, and made the 'cool guy' movement with one hand. I kept staring until he was gone.

I was alone, again. I lay down on the blanket, which was still on the deck. I heard a noise coming from below the deck and it was getting louder.

The Crew was not happy about being woken up, but Buneary got them silent with one smack of her notebook.

I did not even hear a whisper anymore.

They came up, one by one, all looking sleepy. I talked some with Amy and William, and Esmeralda jumped into the conversation. I was having fun, just with talking to others without being afraid. Afraid that I was not 'Princess' enough for them.

"Attention, please," Chansey asked. "We got some apples here, so you can wake up. I would recommend taking one if you're feeling sleepy." There was the smile. No one could refuse, even if they tried.

Gengar tried to refuse it. "Chansey, we don't want apples to wake us up! We need coffee! Or coke! Anything _but _apples!" The Crew made noises to show they supported Gengar.

Chansey looked at Gengar. "I'm sorry, but who are you to say this?" Gengar began to walk backwards, Chansey was intimidating. "I, the nurse, say _apples_ will wake you up more than coffee will do, so you get _apples_."

No one else dared to get in a conversation with Chansey, so we all ate apples. They started to wake up, talking about the party again. It was ages away for me, but they just woke up after it.

Pikachu jumped on a table. "Everyone, we will have to add some supplies here and there, so we will go on land soon." His Crew was not really interested in this, they probably knew what was happening. "Our supply point will be in The Land of Dragons, at Plaza del Labyrinthos." That was not the best information. The name tells me that it was _not_ an ordinary island. "I think it would be smart to leave some of you here, to watch Pichu."

Shock. He saw me as a _baby_. "What?" My hands slammed on the table. "I do not need a babysit! I can just go with you!" I focused my intense glare at Pikachu. He stared back at me, looking calm.

"We don't want you to escape, you showed us that you're capable of doing so, which means we will leave Esmeralda, Ditto and Mew here to make sure you stay on the ship." His look became a bit frustrated. He chose his words wisely. I could not resist anymore.

Mew was making sure of that. She made me turn somersaults, something I was not used to.

"Sneasel," Pikachu asked. "How long until we're at Plaza del Labyrinthos?" The answer was not what I wanted it to be. We would arrive within half an hour.

* * *

><p>I was <em>not <em>happy. Pikachu treated me like a baby. He even tied me to a chair, so I would not escape. He was really mean. Mew would untie me eventually, but then I could not follow the rest of the Crew. They would be too far away to follow, since the island was named 'Labyrinthos'. I did not want to get lost.

I wanted to go sight-seeing, but I was stuck on this stupid ship, _again. _Stupid ship, stupid name_, _stupid Pikachu! I was still tied to a chair, when Mew came back into the room, wearing an eye patch and she was carrying a sword. I think she wants to play pirate. Why does she want to be a _pirate_? She already _is_ one. Why would she pretend? I really do _not_ get it.

She flew toward me. With a _real_ sword.

Ditto and Esmeralda were following Mew - all too happy - and ran in circles around me. Mew cut the ropes and I was free, after minutes. I could not walk alone in the Plaza.

Esmeralda and Mew were having a swordfight, with equal swords. I just sat on the chair, knowing I would not be able to simply walk away. Mew was winning, striking faster, and it looked like Esmeralda was unable to even hit Mew's _sword_. Ditto flew out of Esmeralda's vines, and Mew started celebrating. Esmeralda and Ditto did too after seconds.

They were completely in another dimension. They did not bother me at all, as if the chair was something dangerous. After a while, they stared at me, to see why I was so silent.

"Mew Mew?" Her head went to the side, still looking at me with that one eye. Why was _Mew_ the one with an eye patch? Never mind.

Esmeralda hit Ditto and said: "Tag, you're it!" I did not know what they were doing, but it was dangerous. They were all screaming through their laughter.

This would take too long. I could not stay in here for another _second_. "Excuse me for a moment, I have to go to the bathroom." I hurried out of the room. They did not even follow me. I saw my way to escape in the bathroom.

There was a window, the same as Pikachu has in his room. They were probably all over the ship. I wanted to go sight-seeing, but I did not want to betray Pikachu's trust...

He did not trust me, he thought I was someone he had to take care of. I jumped out of the window.

* * *

><p><em>Sneasel<em>

_I was alone. My family left me when I was young, since I only brought them despair. Everything turned cold, no one dared to come close to me. And I didn't dare to open up to someone else. Feeling betrayed is all I have left._

_I never felt warmth, and I doubted that I ever would. I felt like a shadow, walking through nothing. I was in another dimension for those Pokémon._

_I strolled through the north, since snow and ice were a custom there. I crossed many countries on my way, but saw few. They were in war stage, just like my... country... was._

_Doors slammed shut, and the everlasting snow kept falling down on me. I was used to it by now. Most Pokémon would say it was the worst weather, but this was my favourite weather. I felt more at ease. _

_I was in The Mountain of Ice, sitting on a bench, when a meeting of fate happened._

_A Roselia walked by, casting me glances until I looked up. She stopped, right there in the snow. It was unusual for Pokémon to look at me. They avoided me like the plague. She started a conversation with me and I was clumsy. I wasn't used to interact with someone._

_She smiled at me and something felt wrong._

_The snow stopped falling. She noticed it too. The time flew, and she had to leave. She would come again tomorrow._

_I knew it for sure since she had put a note in the thorn less rose she gave me._

_She gave me a place to stay, Even if it wasn't nearby her. I became the one at the wheel, staying in touch with the spy at The Mountain of Ice._

* * *

><p><em>Referred to as 'The Cold One'<em>_  
><em>_There was snow wherever he went__  
><em>_Ice formed when he arrived__  
><em>_All became frozen _

_A bad sign__  
><em>_Worse than Absols_

_He was alone, never had he seen water apart from the bottled_

_Until the heart melting rose - arrived_

***Author Note - We had Sneasel all planned out in our head, but it wasn't easy to phrase it the right way... We hope you liked the Chapter! End Author Note***


	10. The Encounter

**Chapter Ten: The Encounter**

***Author Note – All Chapters are updated, with some mistakes taken out - nothing about the story line, though! O_O Randomness; we update our story each Wednesday, 21:00 GMT + 1 (20:00 GMT) and sometimes sooner, like 20:45 GMT + 1. Our Timezone changes around every half year - our timezone becomes GMT + 2 at March the 25th. Now, we want to thank _you_ and your fellow readers. We're happy to see the amount of times our story was clicked~ So, thank you for taking the time to read this story. It means a lot to us! Also we would like to thank everyone who reviewed, put our story on the favourite list and the ones that put the story on story alert! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: Pokémon is _still_ not ours! It never will be, too!***

**Tadaah! We are giving you Chapter Ten: The Encounter**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Pichu's Point Of View<strong>_

I was standing on the dock, feeling the fresh breeze on my skin. It felt good to have unmoving land under my feet. But what would I have to do next? I could not go back to the ship.

Mew and the others were going _crazy _there. It is suicide to turn around and go back to Mew. I could go explore the island a bit, although I could not go into town. If one of the Crew members would see me, he - or she - would think I was trying to escape again.

So I followed the path to the forest. I was walking for ten minutes, or something like that when I passed by a house. I thought it was strange to put your house in the middle of the forest, until I realised that I was in town.

I ran the other way, back to where I just came from, only to end up at the same spot again. What is _wrong_ with this place? I looked for another way to escape this place - it is not supposed to follow me - and gave up. I sighed and just went to the town. I saw a stunning necklace, something I had never seen before.

It was shining and sparkling on a black pillow. I wished I could buy it - a silver necklace with a sparkling apple on it. A _rainbow _coloured apple with Rubies inbedded, something that went beyond my dreams.

I froze when I heared a familiar voice.

"But Captain we need more apples!" Oh no! It is Chansey _and_ she was talking to Pikachirate, who _else_ is the Captain? And I was right in the open.

"We have an apple supply worth _two-months_, so I think we have enough, Chansey." They were not moving, only discussing the topic 'apples'. Unfortunately for me, they looked my way. And I was standing practically in the middle of the street.

Pikachirate looked puzzled, doubting himself, perhaps. "Chansey, do you see what I see?" The doubts were fading away.

Chansey gave her famous nurse-smile. "She looks like the Princess, don't you think?" Now his doubts were gone, like how snow disappears before the sun.

He did not seem happy to see me, well, if I give it some thoughts, he looked like he was going to explode. I would rather not be near him if he is in that state. To avoid him, I should get away, _fast_. Which means I run away. It felt like history repeated itself, eventhough I am running away from a _Pokémon_ instead of news about my engagement.

I ran as quickly as I could into the forest, not minding my dress along the way. I saw flashes of green and brown while I came deeper into the forest - this time I _did_ come in the forest.

I just kept runing, until I thought I was safe. I slowed down and leaned against a tree to catch my breath. I stared at the ground, unseeing. It was not my intention to flee, but I really did not want to be locked up again in the ship.

"Are you going somewhere, Princess?" I looked up, and my instinct took over.

"EEEEEKKKKKK!" Not the best course of action, but it is scary! I did not even hear him behind me, how was I supposed to know that he was here - before he spoke, then. His breathing is even, very difficult to hear, while I am gasping for air. He simply caught me by surprise.

He put a finger in his ear. "It's me, you don't have to scream so loudly, you know. I can hear you just fine." And relief came. It was Pikachirate, and not some villain. Of course it was Pikachirate, who else would follow me in the forest? I got irritated, _no one_ was supposed to follow me. "It doesn't matter where you're going, we're going back to the ship." He looked at me with a look which said 'you beter not resist'.

I did not want to give in just yet. So I sat down on the ground and answered: "I am not going back." He stared at me and then he walked to me and grabbed me by my arm. "I said that I am not going with you, so let me go!" I kicked him hard. Not something I normally did, but the curcomstances were different now.

He flinched for a second, but steadied himself right after it. "Do you really think that I, a Pirate, will let go because of a _kick_?" I forgot that. "Now, just come with me." I struggled a bit more, but could not free myself from his grip.

All of the sudden, lightning came down. It struck a tree. The tree was only_ inches_ away from us. We stopped fighting and looked at the tree. There was _barely_ a tree to look at. But then I... I had a feeling. It was a strange feeling, as if someone was watching us. I did not feel comfortable being here so I turned around...

*BAM*

And bumped right into Pikachirate's arms. He is incapable of _listening_. The _idiot_. "What are you doing? I am _not_ going back with you."

He did not make eye contact. He just stared at something above us. "Sssshhhh, look up."I looked up and was shocked by what I saw. It was the mighty Raikou. He was standing on a high rock while sparking lightning all over the place.

We stood there, frozen for several moments. Out of nowhere, Raikou roared and a storm was coming our way quickly - trees started to fall, I almost got blown away because of the wind. Within seconds, rain was pouring down the sky and more lightning came. I clamped myself to Pikachirate, because all this force of nature frightend me.

Pikachirate was trying to remain standing and was looking brave. Raikou roared - once again - and we thought it would be over soon. Raikou must hate us and would strike us with lightning just like the tree. No idea w_hy_ he hated us, but we would be very unlucky if he chose us randomly. We closed our eyes and waited until it happened. But nothing happened. We opened our eyes and saw a clear blue sky. Raikou was gone, but the ravage was still here.

Suddenly I realised that I was still holding on to Pikachirate. I let go quickly. I did not want Pikachirate to think I was scared. But he did not even notice. He was spacing out on me. I waved my hand before his eyes, but he did not see me. Maybe I should kick him again?

While I was thinking, Pikachirate came back to Earth. He blinked his eyes a few times and looked at me. "We should go back to 'The Lightning Shadow'," he said softly and he just started walking. I was soaked and tired and did not have the energy to resist. After a moment of hesitation, I followed. A nice warm bed sounded really good right now. It was not every day you almost get hit by lightning. So we started walking towards the town.

Walking was hard because of the fallen trees, But the closer we got to town, the easier it became. After the long walk we finally reached town. Chansey was waiting for us. "What on earth have you done!" She was shocked. "You two are soaked." She started to fuss over us right away.

"You two just go to the ship, I will take care of things over here, Captain," she said.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Pikachirate's Point Of View<strong>_

I knew Chansey would take care of things so we returned to the ship. Pichu gave up resisting after hesitating again for a couple of seconds. The wind made sure of that.

We were finally back at the ship and I went straight to the Captain's room. I saw the large bed and collapsed on it. Pichu fell on the bed, too, but she did it more elegant, or softer. I knew she would be mad later for ruining her escape, but I couldn't care about that now. I closed my eyes and started to drift off...

But then I felt something poking me. "Are they dead?" asked an innocent voice. I recognised it as Esmeralda's. "They're not responding!" I heared some tears in her voice.

Pichu started talking, although in a very irritated way. "We are _not_ dead, we are just tired." She began to glare at me. "I assume you take the bed? I will be going to Buneary, if that is the case," she said in her temper.

She was quick to rise, faster than I was, and left the room, evading the death hugs Mew, Ditto and Esmeralda wanted to give her for being alive. I was staring at their attempts to go after her, but Pichu closed the door.

I sighed. I might get a dreamless night, tonight. "Go to your bedroom, it's late, and we need to wake up early." They wouldn't fight it; as long as they were together, they were happy. So they skipped out of the room, being one of the few to follow my orders without questioning it.

I lay down, and fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em>Everything was in a dark blue colour. I was looking around me, but couldn't manage to decide where I was. It was dark, but a blue darkness was around me. I couldn't move, nor could I feel anything. It was quite the opposite of my usual dream. I was glad to have a different dream this night, it would do me some good.<em>

_All my senses were shut, at least, that was my first thought. I wasn't entirely true, though. I was only fooling myself, as I saw the blue change to red. I could move a bit, and my memory told me that this was a cave. Not a specified one, but everything was pointing to it._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Pichu's Point of View<strong>_

_The cave was a brilliant colour violet just moments ago, but it changed in a dark colour red. I wasn't at ease with it. I saw the place where the red was. It was the most strongest, violent object I ever saw. The different tints the stone had were with too many to describe, and were filled with emotions that I did not understand. I felt sick, as if I was feeling the same way the stone did..._

_I shook my head. A stone did not have emotions, why did I think that this one had them?_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point of View<em>**

_I was finally able to move, so I walked over to the weird thing. I didn't dare to touch it, but my hand moved by itself. I can't control dreams, and I know it, but this had to be the strangest dream I ever had. My hand touched the stone, I think it's a stone._

_A terrible headache hit me by the touch. I backed away from the stone, but couldn't get the flashes out of my memory._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point of View<em>**

_The stone did not only have emotions, but it had everything a Pokémon's soul has. Memories, feelings, it has know all. I became terrified, the stone was more powerful than I was. I wanted to cry, but I could not. The stone had every reason to, but did not. I would not cry, as my motives are too small compared to that of the stone._

_A large water current entered the cave. I was only able to stare at it._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point of View<em>**

_Seconds before the impact, I tried to memorize all the details of my dream. I knew it was special, different from others I had. I had the same dream for around **two years** now, but this was another one._

* * *

><p><em>Ditto (Pikachirate's Point of View)<em>

_I remember stealing some jewels from the rich. Those rich guys took stole those from a poor village, who only recently got back on track. We were planning on giving it all back to their rightful owners, but Mew wanted to keep one earring. Not two, one. I let it be, and Mew was finally calm all day. The only thing she did was 'mewing' to the earring._

_I couldn't help but notice the change the earring went through. It got more shiny everyday, the only sparkling object on the ship._

_Amy and William tried to obtain the special object, but we were all in for a surprise, even Mew._

_The earring transformed into a Ditto. That was the first time we saw Mew smile a 'real' smile. Now it's the only thing we see on Mew's face._

_The Ditto decided to stay with us. No one objected, mainly because no one wanted an angry Mew. Nonetheless, Ditto came in very handy, and made our ship more lively._

_Maybe a bit too lively._

* * *

><p><em>Traveling was never a problem<br>Changing into an object, and hide between the others  
>No one understood me, or wanted to understand me<em>

_Pokémon think I'm weird, because of my normal form, my eyes  
>My way of talking, my everything<em>

_I once read that someone that understood you,  
>Really understood you<em>

_Has been through the same rough time  
>I now share my experience with my best friend<em>

_A friend that will protect me against evil  
>We are different<em>

_But we have had a similar past  
>The past bonds Pokémon<em>

***Author Note - Thank you for reading! We would like to know what you thought about it, some tips. . . So, yeah. And we thought a plot out! We know for a bit where this story will lead to! More randomness! Our father supports us, and suggested we could write the same scene from a different Point of View. So, if you want to see a scene from another Point of View, let us know and we'll do our best! Here's an example. It brings our inspiration!***

* * *

><p><em>What happened on the ship while the crew was at Plaza del Labyrinthos.<em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Mew's Point of View<em>**

Pika Captain had said: "Look after the Princess." He then tied her to a chair and left.

Esmeralda and Ditto were still on the deck. I weaved signs to Ditto that we were going to play 'kidnap the Princess'. Ditto answered back with a happy movement.

I opened a loose floorboard on the deck – Pika Captain thought it was a good hiding place - and saw the Captain's pirate stuff. Then we went to the Captain's room and played.

Pichu seemed to enjoy it, as she played her part excellently. I was defending the Princess while Esmeralda tried to kidnap her, holding onto her sword-Ditto. I knocked Ditto out of Esmeralda's vine. The Princess was safe!

We all were happy except for the Princess. Why isn't she happy that she is safe? Ditto and I signed at her to be happy. She still did not look happy.

"Tag, you're it!" Esmeralda said while tagging Ditto. We started playing tag like real pirates. After we played tag, we started playing ninja. To be a ninja, we needed a smoke bomb. It would be best to play it at the deck. There was more space to play at. We went to the deck and I teleported a smoke bomb to deck. It was a big pink sphere, just like it is supposed to be.

Esmeralda threw a water balloon at it and it exploded. After the smoke cleared, the deck was pink and the Princess was gone… She must have used ninja teleportation, I thought while nodding my head. Only skilled Pokémon can use it…!

There is nothing to be worried about she will come back later, like a ninja.


	11. Panic

**Chapter Eleven: Panic**

*** Author Note - We lost our inspiration. Poor us. Luckily, we wrote our inspiration down a few Chapters back. And more happiness: we like to thank CallinConnor for reviewing! And - of course - we still appreciate the effort everyone else put in their review for another chapter! We can't thank you enough for giving us feedback!**

**Disclaimer: We never owned Pokémon, we never will, and won't own it in another universe.***

**We give you the next Chapter. It is Chapter Eleven: Panic**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Pikachirate's Point Of View<strong>_

The dream started to fade away... but I had the feeling that it was important. I remembered the vital details of the dream, like the strong feeling that I had by that weird stone thing. It must be something major. I don't know why a stone would be significant, but apparently it is.

I opened my eyes, and saw the door opening the moment I lay my eyes on it. In a flash, there was some added weight on me. "Wake up, Pikachu!" It was Pichu. She whispered, but it sounded like a cannonshot.

"Why are you lying in bed at a time like this!" Buneary yelled. "We're under attack, Captain." Under attack? She's gotta be kidding me! This must be a dream, a hallucination, or something like that.

Suddenly, there was a loud 'BANG' and I looked at the direction where it came from. It came from outside, and I looked at the window to see what was going on outside. I saw flames on the water, just like those from the past. I couldn't move, because the next thing I saw was... was... a Salamence.

_~Begin Flashback~_

_I was not the kind of Pokémon who would sit still. I was weeks away from my family and would see them for two days after that. But we were real close in the heart, so it didn't matter. _

_I'm a tracker. That's why I was gone so much. But I took care of my family, I was the older brother, the example. I was the one my siblings looked up to._

_We weren't rich, so I sent them money when I caught a lawbreaker. They made me promise to visit every once in a while, so I did. Our bond did not break, unlike the many that would._

_I was near my home and decided to pay them a visit. I didn't know it would be the last time. My world fell apart that day._

_It was late in the evening, or early in the morning, I didn't know. But I knew it was a bad time to be in the village._

_The Land of Flames sent their Fire-troops to our village. They were going to burn it to the ground, just like they did to other villagers._

_Charizards flew over our city, using Flamethrower. They had other Fire-Pokémon on their back. They attacked simultaneously._

_I was yelling, hoping to wake up our village and that they would understand to flee. I hit some of the Fire-Pokémon with my attacks, but definitely not all. There were too many._

_A Salamence shot right past me, evading my attacks. He set my home on fire._

_I couldn't think. My body was moving on its own. My voice... broke and became high-pitched. But I continued trying to wake the village up. And above all my family._

_Before I realised, I was in the house, already running towards their bedrooms. _

_The house started to collapse, and I should have used my sense of self-preservation, but I was still running on the auto-pilot._

_I couldn't run further, as the bedroom doors were on fire, just like the walls surrounding me._

_Something hit my head, and this time, I was the one to collapse._

_~End Flashback~_

I remembered all these details, as I saw this scenario every night. After all those years, I still felt the same pain whenever I thought about it.

I would have to suffer for the rest of my life, during my sleep. I should have saved them. I should have been home, if only half an hour earlier. Nothing will take the pain away, and I would take it with me.

Forever.

This day will be different. No one will leave because of some flames, no one will be gone forever. This time I'm going to save them all.

And with that, I jumped out of bed and grabbed my sword - Mew left it on the floor. I ran past Buneary to the deck. "Stay back, Princess." I wouldn't let her die. I must protect her. I should have been nicer towards her. But it isn't too late, _yet_.

I came out the Captain's room and faced incredible heat. There were flames surrounding the deck. I couldn't see anyone on the deck, because it was night, but, from one second to the other, I could make out a Pokémon. I looked over it the first time, because she was camouflaged. The colours were identical to the flames, fiery red, with strong white through them.

A Fire Spin made me lose hold of my sword. My hand burned and I was distracted.

I noticed too late that the Flareon was on the deck. I was almost finished for that moment - fatally, but not death - when there was a sudden lightning. I was blinded for a moment, but so was the Flareon. When my sight was back, I saw that the Flareon was lying on the deck. And to my surprise, I also saw Pichu. She saved me.

"Do _not_ think I will be staying in that _room_, while you endanger your life!" Her green eyes shot fire. "I will cover you, just... do not be too reckless, go!" I knew we didn't have the time to argue, so I closed my eyes for a second.

I gave in. "Fine! But make sure that someone covers _you_." I looked around wildly, hoping to find someone reliable. There was no one available. Everyone was fighting the flames and the other threats. Abra was making sure the ship wouldn't sink, I couldn't bother him with covering the Princess.

There was too little time, Pichu made that clear. "_Go_! How many times do you want me to _say_ that? Idiot, do not worry about me, I can take care of myself," she said. I could see a trace made out of tears below her eyes.

I couldn't see much because of the smoke and the raging fire. I _had_ to stop the Salamence from spreading the fire. I tried Thunder, but I couldn't aim for Salamence. There was just too much smoke.

"The smoke is just too thick, you are unable to see anything. You can not attack blindly, you will just hurt your Crew," she reasoned. She was right, and to add another problem, there were just _two_ enemies. No way that we would find them by running around. Those are pros.

Then it hit me: I would climb in the Crow's-nest - I would be able to see Salamence, and hopefully the Flareon - use one of my awesome, stunning attacks, and bam! Salamence defeated, Pichu saved, and we would live happily ever afte... Why would I think that last thing?

It doesn't matter. The only thing I have to do now, is climb in the unstable mast, no problem. Nope, none at all, I would get hit easily, and die, fall in the water, and get burned...

"I told you already, _go_!" I blinked. I wasn't aware of the time. "Aargh! Why are you unable to move!" She turned on her heels, faster than I could, and ran towards the mast. No... She can't!

"Wait! It's too dangerous! It's not something a kidnapped Princess should do!" I froze. There he was. The Salamence. He was after the Princess. She didn't hesitate in climbing the mast, not even after my sentence. She did flinch, but it could have been the smoke.

I felt like a failed hero, so I followed after Pichu, into the mast. The movements the mast made were wild, unpredictable, and above all life-threatening. She, a Princess, was faster than me, a Captain. I was only halfway, while she was almost at the top. She evaded the Salamence in rapid success, never losing her speed.

I looked up, and it was only then that I realized. Dark clouds were all over the sky, and the Princess was the jewel... She was sparkling, and the clouds were reacting to it. She jumped, just when the attack emerged. Discharge, it gotta be it.

I picked up speed, and was only seconds away from Pichu. She fainted from the attack, and the mast wasn't very stabel at the moment I shouted to Abra to teleport us back down. The Salamence was falling down and landed with a loud splash in the water. It started to rain and all flames were starting to go out.

The damage was unfortunately already done. The ship was in a terrible state, we wouldn't be able to make it to Plaza del Catans like this. I asked Abra to teleport the whole ship to the safest place on Earth. Eon Island.

It was rough on Abra, a complete ship teleportation wasn't nothing. We arrived, and I could see that Happinny was taking care of Pichu. Chansey was healing the other Crew members.

It has been a while since I visited Eon Island. I doubted anyone else knew about this peaceful island, apart from my Crew. The island is surrounded by violent whirlpools, and could only be reached by teleportation. Its inhabitants were all Eevee, and the Evolutions. They were kind, and had the same soul as Esmeralda had. Playful and innocent.

Everyone was getting off of the ship, already knowing what would happen the next few days. We would repair it, making it brand new. I sent Chatot to the Land of Leaves with a note saying that the negotiation wasn't going to happen anymore. We didn't trust them, as they violated our terms.

Pichu wasn't aware of what I did, but she was unconsious. It would mean trouble if I told her, so I will remain silence for now. We had all the time on the world on this island.

* * *

><p><em>Failed as a brother, abandoning the position Family's Protector<br>Always taking the consequences with me, only able to prolong it for a day_

_No Pokémon sees through me  
>There is no Pokémon I can't see through<br>I know everyone's course of action just by looking at the face_

_The only Pokémon I can't see the thoughts of is me  
>I'm unknown to me, a puzzle left undone<em>

_Succeeded in having meaning for others  
>Finally got the feeling of being needed by someone again<em>

__But the nightmare keeps coming__

***Author Note - ~No Inspiration~**

**Psst! Does any of you want a background story about a Pokémon? We have almost used all Pokémon to write about at the end... We still got have written Charmander for the future, a whole chapter about Pichu... And now we are looking for another Pokémon to write about. So, uhm, do you know a Pokémon of this story you want to read about?*******


	12. Be happy, it's Eon Island!

**Chapter Twelve: Be happy, it's Eon Island!**

***Author Note – Sorry for this being… Slow, lots of talking, and not enough progress. I really wrote what I felt. So I think it's a bit more Gray Pikachirate instead of Pikachirate. He seems to be a bit too down. Happy things were written later for this chapter. :\ But, we like to thank CallinConnor for reviewing! We can't say how happy it made us - there aren't words that are strong enough. So we hope you like this chapter! *Cough even if it's a down chapter cough***

**Disclaimer: We _really _don't own Pokémon. Did that come as a surprise?**

**Here is Chapter Twelve: Be happy, it's Eon Island!**

* * *

><p><em>Ship's Log<em>

_The mast can break any moment now. _

_The sails are full with burn marks and can't be used any longer, they need to be replaced._

_The steering wheel is intact, but got some burn marks, too. _

_The sleeping places are almost completely undamaged, as Team Salamence was busy with attacking from above, the deck._

_The deck is almost completly destroyed and has to be rebuild. Most is gone into flames._

_There is a hole on the side of the ship, which required immediate repair._

_To our relief, all the apples are gone. NO MORE APPLES INSTEAD OF COFFEE._

_~Buneary_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Pikachirate's Point of view<strong>_

Eon Island was evaded for this long with a reason. The Eevee and Evolutions were _too_ happy.

Next to that, my Crew is slacking work because of the 'pleasant' temperature. It's too hot in here to be pleasant.

The always present Eevee were working on my nerves. I wished Esmeralda was here, but, as she was the only one who actually knew what the island looked like. And she was the only one who wasn't annoyed by the Eevee' happiness, so she was the only Pokémon who could walk around with Pichu on the island without getting lost or wanted to return to the ship.

Stupid adventurous Princess. Why would she even want to see Eon Island? Especially _alone_?

I had to _force_ her to take Esmeralda with her. I was lucky that Esmeralda wanted to go, it surprised me she didn't have a problem with being separated from Ditto and Mew for some long hours, even a day.

For the record, we have been here for three days. Three long days, three days filled with happiness radiating off of the Eevee. I was going crazy.

"Captain," Chansey said. "Is something wrong? You don't seem to be feeling well." That's true. I feel useless. I can't do anything to repair _my_ ship, while everyone else is simply _slacking_ work.

No point in lying to Chansey, is there? "You're dead on, I feel like a mess." There, the truth is out. I sighed, I wasn't on my best.

She smiled as she closed her eyes. "Let's do something about that, shall we? Happiny, can you get Ditto for me?" I sighed, once again, and just waited. I was sure that Mew would accompany Ditto, no doubt about it.

To my surprise, Mew never showed. When Ditto arrived, I had to ask. "Why are you bringing Ditto here? I don't see how _that_ would make me feel any better." I shook my head in disapproval. What was Chansey planning…?

Her smile didn't leave her face for a second. "We're going to take this opportunity to make it up with the Princess," she stated. There was no doubt in her voice.

"What did we do wrong? Why would we need to make it up with the Princess? Is there something you need to tell me, Chansey?" My eyes narrowed. Did I miss something? The Princess did look a bit distant when I thought about it. She didn't want any company, as she wanted to be alone. But why?

Chansey was the one to sigh this time. "Multiple reasons, Captain. First, she needs to find _herself_ at the moment. How would _you_ feel if you betrayed your rescue team, only to save your _kidnappers_?" I had the feeling that I was blind. How could I have missed that?

"Continue. You said that was only the first reason?" Chansey nodded, probably happy since I was listening to her.

"Second, she's a Princess. She isn't used to being outside, and it's likely that she wants to enjoy her short amount of time alone. Not with a happy Bulbasaur, she has been surrounded by bodyguards since birth," she said knowingly.

I looked her straight in the eye. "Is that all?" I raised my eyebrow, ready to hear her soft 'yes'. She thought otherwise.

"I wasn't done, Captain. I need to tell you the most vital one." I stayed silent, because Chansey would know what it meant. "As the last one, she needs you to take a step towards her. Do something nice for her, she didn't choose the kidnapping." I didn't choose it _either. _"So, take a step closer, break her Princess-act, and see what happens next." I froze.

What was Chansey _thinking_? There were no words to describe what I was feeling at the moment, although void was coming close. This wasn't supposed to happen. A Princess shouldn't be kidnapped by to-be-pirates, while the Captain of the ship shouldn't fall in love with her. He isn't worth it, and she was… too different. Even _if_ this Captain loves her, why should the Princess love him?

These thoughts happened within seconds, five at the most. I had my answer ready. "Not going to happen. If I take this step, we will make sure that she won't be able to let go of us," I said. What if she gets too attached to us? We don't want a Princess on our ship forever, it's too dangerous. "While she does want to go home. We can't do this, Chansey, can't you see?"

Chansey bit her lip. "I didn't even tell you _what_ this step is, and you're already finding a way out of it, aren't you?" she claimed in a tone soaked in disapproval.

I knew she wouldn't let me go unless I heard what this step was. "Tell me, what do you have in mind?" I was curious, but nothing would be enough for a Princess. A Princess that would get married the minute she returned to her country.

Chansey clapped her hands in joy. "_You_ are going to give her the best gift in the world, of course!" Best gift, huh? No way that we would find the perfect gift for a Princess. It's just undo-able.

"We don't have _years_ to look for it, do we? How are we supposed to find it, without her noticing?" I was freaking out. Deep within, I knew that I wanted to give the Princess this awesome gift, but it would be impossible.

Chansey said one mind-blowing sentence. "The gift doesn't need to be wealthy, or Princess worthy, it has to fit within her character." I thought back. What would she want? "We all know she has a liking to apples, and seeing her dress, she likes simple. She's not one to walk around in something fancy. She didn't have a liking toward the dresses Buneary bought for her, which were a bit fancy." That's true. She likes simple.

It struck me what Chansey meant. "Do you mean the apple necklace we saw in the shop? She _was_ staring at it…" Apples. Why was she so much into apples?

"We're going to make a better version, Captain. We will make Ditto transform into it in steps, so Mew can find it somewhere. Captain, I need to know if you will follow the plan. Will you?" I nodded. I wouldn't let this chance go by. She wouldn't see it as I _wanted_ her to see it, but I would be able to live with that.

I turned myself to Chansey. "Will you manage it to do this alone? I'm going to check on Buneary, as I'm sure that she's packed with work." I walked away, already knowing the answer.

* * *

><p>I was thinking. I couldn't come to a conclusion, though, the only thing I managed to do was watching the sun set. Buneary didn't want to be helped, so I went to this place. I was sitting on my favourite rock. Someday I will bury a treasure under this rock. I am a lazy Pirate for not having done it already.<p>

I wished Chatot would return soon – he would get the information from Charmander. Charmander hadn't been able to send messages, as the Land of Leaves was in terror. I would make sure Pichu wouldn't get any information from Charmander. It really hurt her to hear about him.

Even though I _was_ all negative about this island, it did feel like the place where I could go to whenever I felt like a total mess. It was peaceful, not so quiet, but that's how it's meant to be.

The feeling of home.

I knew I scared the Eevee away, but one was brave enough to climb all the way up to my rock. It was an almost vertical rock, so it was difficult for her.

She was hesitant, it seemed as if she was intimidated by me. She practically threw her question out in the open. "Is it true that you fell in love with a Princess?" She rushed through the words, but I heard them.

I sighed, as I do often on this island. "Unfortunately, yes. Yes, I guess I _did_ fall in love with one, but I'm not sure." It was easier to say it, since I admitted it to myself. After a long time. I wasn't sure if I _really_ was in love. It's still a question for me.

"Oh. Why is it a bad thing?" She wasn't looking directly at me. I felt better now I knew that I was still the famous Pirate Captain 'Pikachirate'. She was a bit scared.

"It's a Princess. Life isn't like a fairy tale, she won't even notice how head over heels I am." Admitting it to myself was hard enough. Why was I telling a young Eevee that was afraid of me?

"Miracles happen everyday!" She stared me straight in the eyes this time. "One of our kind has returned, something that has never ever happened before!" I could see how tears started to form. "The only thing you need is faith, and hope that luck is on your side. If so, you will find love." My eyes snapped open.

"One of your kind returned? Was it an Eevee?" I had doubts. What if it was a…

"It's not an Eevee, it's a Flareon," she answered. My fears were confirmed. The Flareon had hidden himself on my ship, and found his way out on the island. "He's really kind, and has many stories to tell us," she continued. I listened closely. "He _is_ a miracle, so I don't see why. Why don't you have faith in your fairy tale?" She looked at me with pleading eyes.

I decided to try and evade the question. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed? And you seemed really scared just minutes ago. Why did you come my way?" The young Eevee shook her head.

"Yes, I should be in bed actually. And yes, I _was_ scared to come and talk to you, but I had to come to you. You were lonely, and you shouldn't be lonely on Eon Island. So I came to you. Now. Answer _my_ question. Why don't you have faith in your fairy tale?" She got me now. I had to answer her, as she answered mine faire and square.

The sun was down. "I'm just not the optimistic Pokémon at the moment. I _think_ I'm in love, but how am I supposed to know if I really _am_? I've never been in love before, so how do I know? What if it's… not love? How can I have faith, _keep_ faith, if I don't know the details about my fairy tale?"

"Pikachirate, I think you will have the feeling. Especially when you have faith." She bit her lip. "I have to go now, but promise me. Promise me that you make your fairy tale come true!" She wasn't moving, and was staring with a look filled with determination.

"I will keep this in mind. What's your name? Well, you have a name, don't you?" There wasn't a war raging here, never had, and the population was mainly Eevee. It was important to become an individual, as they could choose what to evolve in. The Eevee had a choice.

She jumped off my rock. "My mother gave me the name 'Violet'. She likes flowers, so my name is a flower. I got told everything there was about roses, all kinds of flowers. Maybe you should look for a four-leaf clover. It will bring those four words I told you. Don't forget them, okay?" with that she ran away, using her ability to its fullest.

I thought hard. A pirate should rely on neither a four-leaf clover _nor_ its meaning.

I was alone once again. I was thinking of what Violet had said. It sounded crazy, but maybe she was right. Maybe if I tell her how much I love her, she will hug me and say she loves me too.

But she will probably hit me if I told her I love her. Then she would be mad at me and never speak to me again. I didn't want to risk _that_. But we were close to the point where we would trade the Princess for the ransom. So if I want to tell her I love her, I need to do it soon... very soon.

I need to do it now. I jumped off the rock I was sitting on, and ran into the forest. I had to find her.

I actually had no idea where Pichu was heading to and I didn't know the forest that well, but I would find here. Love would show me the way, if my tracking skills failed.

* * *

><p><em>Charmander<em>

_I was one of the youngest of our family. I had two older sisters, one younger one, next to five older brothers. All five of my brothers were forced to go into the army of the Land of Flames, they were going after our father, a high officer. _

_I would follow their steps, at least, that was the plan. The Land of Flames had attacked other countries many times, but has been attacked just as much. Since our family was strong, we didn't have any losses. Our family was whole. This isn't a story where I lose my family in a tragic accident._

_I chose to part with my family, since they were merciless. My father was the man in front, fighting in every war. He even started some. My brothers were already brainwashed and thought the same way about it is he did. My older sisters' thoughts were alike._

_I didn't want to be a part of this family anymore, and I ran away. I met some Pokémon, but none would be friends for life. One day, however, I met a Chatot. This Chatot was hurt - probably hit with Fire-attacks. I was looking around, trying to find a nurse. I saw a Chansey with her Happiny, and scurried toward them. She healed him right away, no hesitation was around her._

_She took us in, so we ended up at a pirate ship. The decision was made for me that it was too dangerous to stay on the ship. Buneary sent me to the best place. The Land of Leaves. I had to part with my friends, but they were for life. We would always have contact._

_Weeks after I worked at the castle, something unpredicted happened. My younger sister became an employee, a maid, at the same castle I worked. I became happy, since she chose peace above war._

_We still talk a lot after our shifts are over. We are a small, but close family now._

* * *

><p><em>A family fell apart since members had different morals<br>One of them wanted to achieve world domination  
><em>_Another would follow the leader of the family without hesitation_

_The innocent children were filled with the parents' opinion_  
><em>Only the youngest two weren't exposed long enough to be taken over by it<em>

_Their minds had a pure essence  
>By leaving the family, the youngest brother made sure the youngest sister would think for herself<em>

_He saved her by leaving his home_

* * *

><p><strong>*Author Note - Next Chapter will have Pichu's Point of View, and you will read her side of the story. It's long, really long, and it describes the days <em>before<em> she leaves with Esmeralda. After that, you will read about the trip with Esmeralda. So now I'm wondering.**

**Is Chapter Twelve a so called 'Flashforward', or are chapters Thirteen and Fourteen a 'Flashback'? It's difficult to say**

**Somewhere will probably be a Chapter about Pichu's Background Story, but we don't know where to put it. So, we hope you will enjoy them!* **


	13. Who Am I?

**Chapter Thirteen: Who Am I?**

***Author Note – This is some sort of flashback chapter, the first few days on Eon Island. And some Legends that were written before/during Chapter Nine! We planned this some time ago, so… Enjoy! And if you don't like them, well, it's written after four hours of sleep. And a whole day of cycling before the sleeping. **

**Disclaimer: We only _use_ Pokémon to make more sense of the story line, but we don't own it. Really.***

**Here is the longest Chapter up till now. It's Chapter Thirteen: Who Am I?**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point of View<em>**

It was only moments ago I had woken up. Someone put a blanket over me. I could not help but recognize it as Pikachirate's. I saw multiple dresses lying next to me, the ones Buneary bought in Plaza del Labyrinthos.

I felt no desire in wearing them at the moment.

His voice - of course _his_ voice - did not come as a surprise. "Hey, Princess. Did you get enough rest?" I had to think about it before answering. Flashes of earlier, flames, came back to my mind.

I remembered feeling betrayed by everyone, including my bodyguard Charmander - that was a while back, around two weeks ago. Now I even felt as if I betrayed _myself_. I did something that hurt me in some way. In a mental way.

"Probably not," Pikachirate said when I did not answer. He was looking at me intensely, probably trying to read me - it worked, without a doubt. I was on the edge of crying. I was not crying _yet_, but it came close. There was no way to hide my emotions from him.

This was the first time in my life that I realized; I am not myself at the moment. Never had been. Or am I myself now without knowing?

Pikachirate kept his distance from me. He made sure there was some space between us.

"Not to be rude, or anything, but can you come with me? You can leave the dresses here, since Buneary said it was important to come, so, can you stand?" I looked up at him - I was laying on the ground - with watery eyes.

He pulled me up. I was not _resisting_, yet I was not cooperating either. While standing, I took our surroundings in mind. We were at a beach, and a forest was visible from this distance. The ocean on the other side was a soft, clear blue.

The two of us were walking towards a fire with slow steps - I could see the rest of the Crew sitting around it, already in a circle. I sat down next to Amy and Sneasel, while Pikachu sat down next to Chansey and Gengar.

Buneary got up - she had a lot of notes with her - and started the 'meeting'. "First, I want to welcome you all to Eon Island. The ship is in a bad shape, so prepare for staying here for a couple of days," she said in a clear voice. That meant for me that I would not be back in time at Plaza del Catans. One tear rolled down my cheek.

Pikachirate looked a bit tense, as if something was not going according to the plan. He did not think that staying here would remain a secret to me, did he?

Buneary continued. "Now I will tell you all some stories that I put together, they are legends, myths and facts put together. It took some time to gather the data, so pay attention, you all!" I was neither told a legend nor a myth, never in my life. I read facts, but those would probably not be in the stories.

Buneary glanced around the circle once before she started to read.

* * *

><p><em>"Once upon a time, there was the MasterPokémon. He was known to all, seen by none. It was a mystery what form he had, but everyone knew he existed. And everyone knew he had three disciples.<em>

_The MasterPokémon had saved the lives of those three._

_They were injured badly, all with a different cause._

* * *

><p><em>Raikou - A storm was above them, in the darkest shade ever seen. Raikou was at the see, enjoying the simple life he had. They were all alarmed by the clouds, but it didn't matter. There was no escape. The ship got struck by lightning.<em>

_Everything caught fire. The rest of the Crew and even the Captain jumped into the sea, and Raikou was the only one left at the ship. Flames were dancing around him, with no way out. It is said that he saw a rainbow before passing out because of the lack of oxygen._

_A second lightning struck down, and the ship sunk._

* * *

><p><em>Entei - He was at his own country, the place were he was born. The Land of Flames. Everyone here had the talent for utilizing fire, but Entei had no desire to use it.<em>

_It was a peaceful life for Entei, since being a baker meant a life outside the war. _

_After a day of work, he came home. His carpet caught fire._

_And no one knew how to extinguish the flames, to defeat their own powers._

_Entei's vision got blurry, but the last thing he could see was a feather shaped object right in front of him._

_The doors opened, while the flames took him._

* * *

><p><em>Suicune - He was leading an army across the water. They were trying to take over the command of the city they were headed to.<em>

_The fight was tougher than they thought. The opposing team was even winning. But no one suspected their last attack._

_Multiple Pokémon were using Surf, while standing in a circle on the island. The water was coming Suicune's way, rapidly._

_The power of the army lay in attacking. They lacked defending, so no one even knew the move Protect._

_Their fleet didn't come above the water afterwards. Suicune saw a flying Pokémon through the surrounding water, at the moment of passing out._

* * *

><p><em>Meeting - The three of them woke up in a black room. They stared at each other, not knowing who the others were. When they introduced themselves, it became clear they were enemies. Real enemies.<em>

_They managed to remain silent for a while, all questioning why they were still alive. The MasterPokémon arrived a little later._

_He was magnificent. It was a flying Pokémon, with rainbow wings. They had never seen him, but they all bowed _simultaneously_. It was the MasterPokémon._

_The MasterPokémon explained everything, from red threads to details. They slowly started to know each other, and became the best friends of all later._

* * *

><p><em>Disciples - They had to narrow down their fears to become strong.<em>

_The only disciple who had trouble naming it was Suicune. The MasterPokémon answered with the following questions. What ability do you lack? Why were you defeated?_

_Suicune thought about this. His power wasn't the problem. He could only destruct something, not repair._

_Raikou's fear was the lightning that ended his life. It weren't the flames, but the second lightning._

_Entei's fear became fire, a power hidden deep within him. Flames that surrounded him, unable to do anything against the uncontrolled fire._

_Suicune's fear was more complex, since he now feared water, but his fright for irreparable was larger._

_And with this, their training began._

* * *

><p><em>Raikou learned the power to strike. He is the fastest among the three. Lightning.<em>

_Entei was taught the strength in attack. Even though he is slower than the other two, his moves are powerful, precise and destructive. Fire._

_Suicune got the ability of healing. He shouldn't be underestimated at other fields, even if his name is 'Purifier of the World'. Water._

_These three are legendary. Their powers are way above our level, and these three will only show themselves to someone worthy. Legends about the three are all over the world, and it is unknown what the truth is._

* * *

><p><em>A secret, something most don't know, is that the MasterPokémon had a fourth disciple under his wings. This disciple was a good observant, and was quick to evade. No attack could hit this one. Even today, this disciple remains undamaged by attacks.<em>

_The fourth disciple was probably stronger than the MasterPokémon, but chose to stay loyal to him. _

_The disciple was a traveller, and didn't stay in one place for too long, although the loyalty to the MasterPokémon never faded."_

* * *

><p>Buneary stopped reading for a few minutes, to let us take the whole story in. Some of the Crew members were simply staring at the ground before them - deep in thoughts about the story - and others were in a conversation.<p>

I had seen Raikou, and I knew Pikachirate did too. I shivered because of the memory. It was something I did not want to remember for long. His electric power even made _Pikachu _stunned, since Buneary said it is a power above our level.

I was not looking forward meeting the three other disciples, or even the MasterPokémon. I looked up at the sky, and knew that I would never _meet_ them. The closest I could get was 'seeing' them.

I am sure it is not unusual for a wrongly kidnapped Princess and a Captain who's short on sleep to meet a Legend Pokémon. Or even four.

I had to stop thinking about this. The more I would think about the possibility, the more likely it would become!

Buneary coughed twice. "I got a short story for last, mainly since there was little information about it. I think I got most of it, though. So, keep this story in mind, okay?" She skimmed through her notes, only to pick _one_ page out of the pile.

* * *

><p><em><em>"The Prism Stone changes fate. Its form switches the direction of fate of the Pokémon who touch it. Even if the change looks insignificant, it will save a life in some way, or even more.<em>_

__This stone changes its colour. It could be after a week, a half year, even a decade. It depends on the conditions of the world. __

__The red-zone is the worst. Many lives were taken in a short amount of time, the nature is destroyed.__

__While indigo and violet are the closest colours to each other that stand for peace, the union with nature.__

__The stone knows a way to communicate. It sends messengers to communicate with potential world savers. The test is if they understand the message."__

* * *

><p>I did not get everything she said, but I had a strange feeling that I knew the story. The problem was that I did not know <em>where<em> I knew it from. Maybe my mother told it when I was young, a bedtime story, and it was somewhere deep in my memory.

I looked at Pikachirate's Crew, and tried to see if recognition was on one of their faces - the faces were puzzled to a frustrated look - knowing that the story was as unknown to them as to me in some way.

Buneary sighed and all eyes were on her. "I knew the last story would be one whole question to you, but it answers a few if you look closely at it. _If_ we assume this stone exists, we can be certain of its colour, can't we?"

There was silence; no one seemed to be able to answer her question.

"I already said you had to keep it in mind, didn't I?" Buneary was on the edge of sanity. "Red. The stone would be the reddest colour we would know! The stone, it is a legend itself, it can change fate and can send messengers to those 'world savers'. This is a legend, right? The only reason for it to be unknown is that it's a _stone_. A legendary Pokémon is far more interesting than a legendary stone."

I felt too down to continue thinking about this 'dilemma'. I had to find myself first, before giving this Prism Stone a thought. "My apologies, I can not seem to be able to progress any more thoughts about this. Can we continue this discussion tomorrow? I need some sleep," I said with a voice that broke - not intended.

I saw Pikachirate giving me stealthy glances and Amy, next to me, already began standing up.

"William!" Luckily for me, Amy was the first to offer me help. "Let's take her to the sleeping place, okay?" I did not see where William was; I was getting dizzy for no reason at all. "Can you stand?"

"Yes, Pichu, can you stand?" William repeated the question, giving me no time to answer. Before I knew, my vision started to fade. My eyelids fluttered a few times, and everything turned black.

* * *

><p>I found myself lying on a flat ground on top of a blanket. Again. I remembered seeing a similar one on Buneary's bed. Next to me was another blanket - I think I tossed it off me while I was asleep - although it was thinner than those on the ship. It looked like it was handmade, instead of made with the use of machines.<p>

I was having difficulty with suppressing my loud breathings, but it was normal after a few seconds. I looked around, just like I did some hours ago, and this part looked nothing alike anything I had seen before.

A lake was nearby, only a few hundreds of yards further East. I lay in a flower field, and saw Amy, William, Pikachirate and the rest of the Crew lying in the grass - all on thin blankets. Some trees surrounded us, but the path was easy to see.

By seeing all this, I figured that I needed some time off as a kidnapped Princess. It was just getting too much, I even had the thought 'Who am I?'.

I noticed I was watching Pikachirate sleep after a while. I never did that before, what was strange, to be honest.

He seemed to be having a terrible dream, at least, his face was a mixture between worried, scared and frustrated.

Why had I not watched him sleep before? Maybe because I was not sure if I had feelings for him. Now I was not sure who the 'I' was.

The next step I would take had to be done without Pikachu. He would get in the way of finding myself. So, since we were stuck on this island, I had to get away from him. He had to stay with his ship. I would go to the other side of the island if I must.

But he would think I would try to escape, _again._ I need permission, but how am I going to ask that?

I decided that the best way was to say I wanted to see the island, but wanted to do so on my own. Some sort of 'adventure'. By thinking this, a thought struck me. I daydreamt about these possibilities for ages in the castle. This was what _I_ wanted.

I might know more things about the hidden me than I thought.

It was early in the morning, the moment before sunrise. I started feeling more and more desperate and anxious by the seconds that went by. Pikachirate's face became paler and I did not know what I was supposed to do. He would not die because of a pale face, of course not, but what if it was something dangerous?

I was the only one awake. Someone _had_ to wake up. I was going crazier by the minute.

The horizon turned an orange-red colour, reflected in the lake. I saw a green Pokémon drinking out of it to my surprise. Was it a Leafeon? I have never seen one before; there are not that many Eevee in the world. With the evolutions added to the population, there are roughly four-hundred of them, five-hundred at the most.

A Vaporeon appeared out of the lake. That was unsuspected. With the splash it made, Pikachu woke up. His face already started to get less pale. I suppressed a sigh. Always be careful what you wish for, he has woken up now.

He sat up right away, squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could, and wiped the cold sweat of his forehead. He stared directly at me. "Good morning, are you feeling better?" Apparently, I _was _sick yesterday. I felt silly when I thought of a reason. It could be lovesick or my emotions played a part in my health. I had an identity crisis, you never know if you get sick because of it.

I preferred the second option. "I am fine, thank you for asking." I nodded my head, as a token of acception. "Actually, I was wondering if I could explore the island. It seems to be filled with different kinds of water, flower fields. I can even see a mountain from down here!" His look was sceptical.

He narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't you go when you had the chance? I mean, everyone was asleep, you could've slipped away easily," he stated. This was true, but a feeling told me he would have found me within half an hour after I left. He found me with ease at Plaza del Labyrinthos.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I was warned not to try and escape again, remember? So I am politely asking for your permission." I waited.

Pikachirate hesitated for a moment, but his answer did come. "Okay, I will give you a tour around the island."

That was _not_ the answer I had hoped for. Pikachu did not look happy with the thought of giving me a tour, too. I felt slightly hurt.

I had to change his mind. Travelling with him while escaping him was not the best combination. "Well, I have to decline that offer. You have to think about your ship, and the Crew... Next to that, I would not mind travelling alone, it would be a positive change for a while. Please, may I travel alone? I _really_ need some time for myself." My eyes started to water and my emotions changed the sentence. I was pleading.

Pikachu's face tensed. "Princess, I can't allow that. You should know that." His voice was different than before. It was more an 'I follow the rules' tone, instead of the tone he normally used. The tone used with friends. I did not like it.

My face fell - because of the sentence and its tone - and continued pleading. "Please, I _need_ this. Do you know what it feels like to be kidnapped?"

I had never told this frustration to anyone up till now, but it had to get out now.

"And being brought to an unknown island? The day after that, you learn that you will _not_ be returning soon, since the ship is wrecked, and the pirates do not trust the exchange? Do you have any idea what that is like? No! So, please, let me go for a few days. Please," I pleaded with a broken voice. "It is not like I could get away from the island, could I not?"

Tears were almost streaming down to my cheeks. I never cry uncontrollably. At least, I never used to.

Pikachirate was frozen in place, yet he managed to speak. "Let me think about it. I have to discuss this, alright?" he said in a reassuring voice. I nodded my shaky head and took some deep breaths as to calm myself. After a moment of rest, I was feeling normal again.

"Thank you," I whispered, the relieved tone was hear able in my voice. It was a late 'thank you', but it was one. "And I do not want to bother your Captain-duties, so do not worry, I will be fine." I smiled an honest smile, and Pikachu was stunned.

He shook his head to recover. "I'm going to take a look at the ship." No movement. "Will I see you at breakfast?" He was waiting for my answer.

My smile returned. "Yes, of course! See you then," I said in a cheerful voice. It was not exactly sounding the way it was supposed to be for cheerful, but it was good enough. "Bye!" I waved him goodbye.

* * *

><p>Esmeralda told me she would be joining me - without Ditto and Mew - to keep an eye on me and 'guide' me. Amy and William were too busy, they had to search for parts that could be used to repair the ship.<p>

Maybe I misjudged Esmeralda, she must have Pikachirate's trust if she is in charge of escorting the kidnapped Princess.

* * *

><p><em>It is the dream island for most<em>

_But known to few  
><em>

_The Island of joy  
>The Island of happiness<em>

_Different natures are here to be found  
>Forests and mountains<br>Glaciers and fields  
>A place with Thunderstorms<br>Dark and light_

_Inhabited by the flexible kind of Pokémon  
><em>_Although the environment is as the best_

_Only because it is hidden from the outside world_

***Author Note - It was a _long_ Chapter. It could be two acceptable lengths Chapters even! So, uhm, what did you think of it? Worth a review...? There is a button below, it's easy to click, and it is a happy-maker! :D***


	14. Pirate or Princess?

**Chapter Fourteen: Pirate or Princess?**

***Author Note – Tatatatataaah! Here is the island travelling! No idea what is going to be in it, though. It's still a surprise! Oh no! We forgot to thank CallinConnor for reviewing for Chapter Twelve! Aah! Aah! Aah! **

**Thank you for reviewing (for _all_ those times, it makes us want to write) CallinConnor! Thank you! You are our faithful reviewer, and we hope you will continue reading the story! **

**As goes for the rest of you! But keep in mind, we can't read minds. Help us improve the story with sharing your thoughts! (And I have been rambling long enough)* **

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon. :( It's for the best, to be honest. We would have ruined it.**

**Here is the lovely Chapter Fourteen: Pirate or Princess?**

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><p><em><strong>Pichu's Point of View<strong>_

It is still early in the morning. Pikachu talked to Esmeralda when she woke up, and she agreed to be my guide - and protector.

Esmeralda is now talking to the happy Eevee. I really wanted to see the island, mainly since I heard that there are some apple trees somewhere up hill. I have not had an apple in _days_.

So I hoped we could go there, but I do not know where Esmeralda will be taking me. I saw that Esmeralda was running in circles with the Eevee, so I think we are ready to go.

"Can we go, Esmeralda?" I asked impatiently. I could not stand all the happiness of the Eevee any longer. It was the same way for Esmeralda's happiness, but I knew I could no avoid it on this island.

"We can go." She ran toward me, out of the circle, with a big smile on her face. She seemed to be excited about something. "We are going to eat lots and _lots_ of Berries!" she said happily. If I did not know she was a Bulbasaur, I would think for sure she was one of the Eevee.

We started walking. We followed a clear path, it looked like the Eevee walked here often. There were flowers around us, and Esmeralda started to glow. "Let's play ninja!" She ran away, and hid somewhere in the flower field. She got out of it seconds later, and ran from flower to flower.

The flowers reminded me of the garden at home. It was the only place - next to my apple tree - where I felt free, but here I did not have that feeling. I wish I could be as free and happy as Esmeralda, but I can not. Maybe... "Look Pichu it's a Pinap Berry!" I looked at the Berry. It was a small, pineapple-shaped Berry.

It made me want an apple even more. "Esmeralda, do you know where the apple trees are?" She gave me a strange look.

"Don't you like the Berries?" she said in a hurt voice. It was the first time I saw her _without_ a smile. She must be very fond of Berries.

I answered in a reassuring voice: "I do like the Berries, Esmeralda, I, really do but I like apples more. Just like you prefer Berries." I already regretted asking her about the apples. She just looked so sad.

"The apple trees are close to Lake Vaporeon," she said while staring at a place in the West. I did not see what she was looking at, so it must be far behind the Berry trees. Esmeralda continued. "But the Eevee don't eat apples, so I don't know where it is exactly, either."

She looked back and forth between the Berries and me. It looked like she was thinking very hard about something, as if she was trying to make a difficult decision. Then her smile returned, she looked like she usually does. As she is supposed to look.

She looked me in the eye, and she started to talk again. "You could go to Lake Vaporeon, while I stay here. That way, I can and eat and collect Berries, and you can eat and collect apples, right?" I think she does not understand what the _real_ reason of her being with me was.

Pikachu said she had to travel with me to protect me. I do not think Esmeralda could protect me, but still. It is about the idea. I had to think about the words Pikachu said. Apparently, not even Esmeralda would listen to the Captain. But I wanted to be alone for a while, and Pikachu was already grumpy about me exploring the Island... So it would not hurt to make use of the situation. If no one else listened to the Captain, why should I follow his will?

"I think you are right, Esmeralda." She grinned because of the compliment. I was _still_ wondering why Pikachirate chose Esmeralda as my 'protector'. "Could you tell me where Lake Vaporeon is?" I smiled, to show her that I thought of her as a friend now - I truly did.

I hoped that Esmeralda knew where the lake was, otherwise I could not find my apples. I _need_ them at this moment of identity crisis.

She nodded, and started rattling about another Berry. "You have to follow the path the Shuca Berries are marking." I knew what those looked like, and I knew the function; it weakens super effective Ground-type attacks.

I frowned. Following a Berry towards a lake? "I have to follow the Shuca Berries?" It sounded really strange, did I _really_ have to follow the Shuca Berries?

Esmeralda continued nodding, now furiously. "Yes, yes! You have to follow the Shuca Berries!" she said it like she was very certain of it. She struck a Super-Hero pose, pointing to the West.

I would take her word for it, and follow 'the Shuca Berries'. "Well I think I am going to follow the Shuca Berries, then." I headed towards the West - the place Esmeralda pointed to. I turned around for the last time. "Bye, Esmeralda!" I waved her goodbye. She waved back, before returning to her Berries.

I was finally alone with my own thoughts. I needed to think about what I must do. Do I have to betray my country, in the hope of stopping the war along with these 'Pirates'? Or do I have to betray my new friends, the 'Pirates', while trying to get peace in the world as a Princess?

It is a choice I have to make, and I need to make it fast. The ship is almost repaired, it would take two days at the most. I can not betray my country. There are hundreds of people, who count on me to stop the war by marrying Prince Elekid - not that they were aware of this marriage, but they would probably know it by now. I just can not forget them just like that!

I got frustrated, and ran with elegancy up in the tree. I plucked three Shuca Berries. I took a small bite out of it. It tasted sweet at first, but it got a spicy flavour after seconds. I wanted to spit it out, but held it in and swallowed - I still had my manners. I ate the rest of the Berry quickly. Spicy and sweetness was a _bad_ combination.

I glared at the remaining two, and sighed. I could better take it with me, as I could give one to Pikachu. When I wanted to hurt him badly. I probably would never use the Berry, as the moment was never going to happen. I would not want to hurt him badly.

I jumped out of the tree and started walking again, and headed West. I was moving at a slow pace, since I was admiring the colours the trees had, the flowers with their different shape and, of course, the colours of them.

I started to wonder if Esmeralda put on an act, or if Pikachu was not clear enough. Maybe Esmeralda was_ not _told what she had to do with me.

I saw Eevee and Leafeon in the forest, even an Espeon. They were rare outside Eon Island, but here, they were common. Did anyone - apart from Pikachirate and his Crew - know about this island?

I jumped from rock to rock in the river. It was a deep river, so I was lucky there was a path of rocks in it. It was not a straight path, but it got something. It was elegant, dignified, and every other word I would use to describe the way the stones were placed and their colours.

After a few moments, I saw the lake.

There were Vaporeon in it, and the ever-present Eevee were surrounding it. They were playing with the water and rolling in the grass. It was only then that I questioned Esmeralda's logic. Why could I not ask a Leafeon in the forest where the apple trees are?

I let it go, and walked over to Lake Vaporeon with hesitating steps. A few Vaporeon turned to look at me, just like some Eevee. I focused my gaze on the Vaporeon nearest to me.

"Excuse me, but do you happen to know where the apple trees are?" I knew my look radiated angst, of course it did, since I was only inches away from the edge. I could fall in the water any moment now.

The Vaporeon had a stunning beauty - probably caused by the Berries around the island - and answered. "You just have to go South-West, where the sun is now," he said.

I took a look over my shoulder, and saw the Sun. The day was getting to the end, minute by minute.

"Why are you so persistent of finding those? There are Berries with a better flavour." It hurt my feelings they did not value the apple. I understood why, but the feeling would stay until we left the island.

As a Princess, I knew I had to answer politely, so I did. "I just favourite apples over berries," I answered the Vaporeon. "And I have not had one for days, so I would appreciate it if you could tell me where I can find the apple trees." The Vaporeon looked at me like I was crazy, probably because I was not an Eevee and I did not like the Berries.

The Vaporeon told me nonetheless, still worrying about my love for apples. "There are some trees on the mountain, but I wouldn't go there if I were you," he said in a low voice, as if I indeed were crazy.

"Why would I not go there?" I wondered if there was a horrible monster that they were trying to hide. I would be able to find myself easier in a dangerous situation; my _true_ self would emerge.

The Vaporeon hesitated for a second, but, after sighing, answered back. "It is incredible hot there, you get dehydrated soon. It could be a dangerous." I was a little disappointed that it was not a monster, yet relieved at the same time.

"I can stand the heat." If it was for getting apples, I would pull through. I am stronger than I look.

The Vaporeon shook his head. "Suit yourself, then, just follow the path South-West." I started walking to the South-West.

I wondered what would happen if there really _was_ a monster. Maybe Pikachu would come to save me... Probably not, we would be too far apart. I would have to deal with the monster myself. No way that if I screamed 'Pikachu! Help me!' he would magically show up.

But I _knew_ I wished he would, just like what would happen in the fairytales. And I wished that we would have a happy ending. Then I did not have to worry about me being a Princess and he being a Pirate, because the girl always marries her saver. And we continue to live happily.

Maybe I could choose a Pirate life. Pikachu and his Crew were also trying to stop the war - in a more effective way than my father. I could tell Pikachu that I do not want to go back to the Land of Leaves. That I actually _liked_ being on a ship and that, even though Pikachu has and a quick temper and is fast with wrong conclusion most of the time, I do love him. And I deserve happiness, too... Do I not?

I really do not know what I have to choose. Why can I not have both?

I already saw an apple tree and it made me really happy to see it. I would be able to stop thinking, and enjoy the moment that felt like home. I climbed into the apple tree and started eating one of the apples. The apples tasted good, yet it tasted different than the ones at home. They were tasty, but I longed for the ones out of the palace garden. But I am certain I will never taste one of those ever again...

* * *

><p><em>Abra<em>

_I was a young Abra back then. I was studying under Master Alakazam, he was admired by all in our village. He helped me strengthening my psychic powers. I was a talented student and made great improvements in a short time. _

_Soon, I was good enough to help Pokémon to lift heavy things with my powers. I helped as many Pokémon as I could. I was loved by all the villagers, of course I was. But then that horrible day came. We were attacked by the enemy. The villager fought, but didn't stand a chance. _

_I had to do something. The only thing I could think of was teleporting all the villagers out of town, before we would lose the fight. So I did. That was what made the day horrible. The villagers weren't happy about the teleporting. They felt like they had lost the fight, as if they had run away like cowards. They didn't speak to me, either, while I was the one that saved their lives. I was sure about that. _

_I couldn't live like this anymore and used Teleport to get to a joyful place where no war raged. I ended up teleporting to Eon Island. The Eevee were surprised at my appearance, you would think I was the first visitor. Maybe I was the first visitor for the Eevee. _

_They thought I was a Legendary Pokémon, but I wasn't, I never were or would be one. They were too cheerful for me, they kept saying that I was enlightening their lives. This wasn't the places where I belonged. I belonged no where in this world. I wanted to Teleport to a place where the sea was distanced enough to drown alone. I wouldn't drown in front of those Eevee._

_I said my goodbye to the Eevee, because I owned them one and teleported away. The next moment I saw the sun shining in my eyes, I wasn't floating in the sea, but was lying on a wooden floor instead. _

_"Chansey, come quickly, there is an Abra here!" I saw a Chansey. She checked if I was still alive. "You can stay here if you want, it looks like you are unhappy at the moment," she said motherly. I wasn't used to it. And especially not when a stranger said it._

_"What a strange Pokémon," I heard a childlike voice say. It was a Bulbasaur's. _

_"Don't say such a thing, Esmeralda," the Chansey snapped. "It is an Abra, it has great psychic powers, be careful with what you say," she continued. I kept my eyes closed. _

_"WOW," Esmeralda said. You could almost hear the smile. "Can you bend spoons, too? Can you, can you? Can you please? Please?" I was feeling comfortable listening to the young Pokémon. This place did not seem too bad, maybe I should take the offer from the Chansey and stay here._

_I knew I would take it, but for now I would sleep for a short while._

* * *

><p><em>He, the protector of the villagers<br>Abandoned by them all_

_Happiness, he could not take it  
>Sadness, he had to get rid of it<em>

_A midst a big crowd, it became too much  
>The loneliness would take it toll<em>

_Now he is not sad, and filled with normal happiness  
>He is comfortable alone, yet a part of the Crew<em>

_Together, even when alone_

***Author Note - Yay! I (Gray, for those who read our profile) have beaten the Elite Four of Unova, and took N and Ghetsis down! Orange on the other hand, is at the start of Pokémon White...***


	15. Almost

**Chapter Fifteen: Almost**

***Author Note - Orange had awesome inspiration! She wrote this Chapter, so you better enjoy it! I only added a few things here and there... Enjoy the fluffiness at the end of the chapter! I dislike proofreading, but I keep doing it. I hope I caught all the mistakes, but I might have missed something.**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon, of course we don't! We aren't Japanese, and aren't good at drawing, so... It's not ours.***

**And here is the New Chapter! It is Chapter Fifteen: Almost**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Pikachirate's Point of View<strong>_

I had a strange feeling something was wrong. So the moment Violet left, I started running - it was weird, small lights were flying all around me, they were everywhere. I had never seen them before, never taken the time to take a close look around the Island - and only wanted to find Pichu.

Damn this jungle. Why did she have to see the Island? Now I have to find her. _Why_ can't she just stay in one place? It's too hot to search for someone on this island.

Luckily Esmeralda isn't hard to find, so Pichu wouldn't be hard to find either. I was walking the path I knew they took this morning. They were nowhere to be found.

"BOOO!" Esmeralda jumped out of the grass. I hadn't noticed her being there. Maybe she and Pichu were playing hide and seek? Pichu must be somewhere around if that was the case.

"Where is Pichu?" I asked her. Esmeralda stopped with running in circles around me - she had a lot of Berries with her - and began to grin.

"She is following the Shuca Berries of course!" She struck a super-hero pose pointing toward the West. She almost tumbled over when she lost her balance.

I hoped she didn't mean that. It better be some sort of game. She _can't_ be serious. Or is she? You never know with Esmeralda. I decided to play along.

"And why is she following the Shuca Berries?" I really didn't know what to make out of the story. I _had_ to know where Pichu was. My tracking skills were taking a day off, just like my slacking Crew. It wasn't the best day for not having my tracking skills.

Esmeralda wasn't paying attention to me; she was taking a sniff from every flower she saw. "To find Lake Vaporeon, of course!" She said it like it was well-known by everyone.

A lake? "What does she want to do in Lake Vaporeon?" It didn't make sense, she can't swim, so why does she want to see the lake? What's the point? She could have stayed with Esmeralda and enjoyed the flowers. That would be more fun than sitting near a lake.

"To find the apple trees," she said in a slightly hurt voice. "She didn't like the Berries, so she is going to search for the apples." What? She went alone! Didn't she know it's dangerous out there?

I sighed.

Now I _really_ needed to find her. I looked at the West and thought about what Esmeralda had said. I don't think I have to follow the 'Shuca Berries'. I better go to the _North_.

I waved Esmeralda goodbye, but she didn't see it, as she was busy with her Berries. I started running through the forest. It was hard, since there was no path, but I am _sure_ this is the right way. I think my tracking-senses had returned.

The forest became thinner after a while, and the path became more like a path. That probably meant I'm on the right track. Only moments later it became very hot and the trees slowly disappeared. Rocks came in their place.

I wasn't so sure now. What if Esmeralda was right? Maybe I should have followed the Shuca Berries. Whatever that would mean. After thinking about it, I felt more confident _this_ was the right path.

I just kept on running. And bolting. And - after an hour - I finally saw what I was looking for. The apple trees! I was glad to see I reached my goal. I _knew_ I took the right path!

There were some Leafeon laying in the sunshine here and a few Flareon enjoying the heat, but Pichu was nowhere to be found. Maybe the Leafeon and Flareon had seen her? It couldn't hurt to ask, could it?

I ran toward one of the apple trees. The Leafeon made no effort to show they noticed me - neither did the Flareon - although I knew they did. "Have you seen a Pichu?" I asked the one closest to me.

The Leafeon looked confused, and the head went to the side. All Leafeon looked at me, with a puzzled look. The Flareon stared at me, I wasn't able to read them.

He frowned when he answered. "What is a Pichu?"

I forgot the Pokémon on the island didn't know about the outside. The only Pokémon they knew about were Crew members, and of course Eevee and its Eeveelutions. I would have to describe her to them. I didn't really know _how_ to describe her to someone who hadn't seen a Pichu before.

It didn't hurt to try, right? "Well ehh... She is yellow, and she has... spiky ears..." I thought hard. What more was there to describe? Yes, her eyes. Yup, I could tell them she has beautiful, stunning green eyes...

The Leafeon looked like he knew what I was talking about. "Oh, you mean like a Jolteon," he claimed. No! She wasn't like a Jolteon! I had to work on my describing skills...

I became a bit irritated. "No, not like a Jolteon." If I meant a Jolteon, I would have said so. "She is much smaller and she wears a dress. A _white_ dress" This didn't work out the way it should.

The Leafeon looked over his shoulder, probably to find confirmation in the others' eyes. "Well, there was this... yellow, fluff thing in a tree down hill," the Leafeon said in an unsure voice. The yellow fluff thing could be Pichu. Actually, it could _only_ be Pichu.

I felt relieved. "Down hill, you said?" The Leafeon wasn't paying attention anymore; he was focused on an apple that fell on the ground, inches from his face.

I didn't wait for his answer and ran - my tracking skills finally woke up, so I took the shortest way - and found her. I saw her because of the 'flying lights'. It gave her a glow that was indescribable.

The few Flareon and Leafeon that were present fled. I had never been in this part of the island, so I was a stranger for them. I wondered why they didn't attack Pichu - another stranger - yet I was happy they didn't. They were peaceful and happy inhabitants. There was no reason for _attacking_, as fleeing was more than enough.

I hadn't quite reached her yet, but she still turned around. She knew I was here. My heart started beating faster when our eyes met. I was mad at her for walking away seconds ago without even telling me - or letting me know in some way - but now I was... speechless.

"I..." Damn! Say something, you! You are the famous Pikachirate! Just say _something_!

Pichu was high in a tree, hesitant at first - she knew just like I did she ran away, again - but she broke the silence I created.

"Do you want an apple?" she asked. I couldn't make out the emotion behind it. "They taste really good, and they are better than the everlasting Berries." Her tone was filled with acid. So she wasn't one for Berries, was she?

I didn't know what to do, but an apple sounded great - tasty and a solution for the silence. I climbed into the tree and seated myself next to her. I looked at her. She looked beautiful. I thought she was blushing, but I couldn't tell for sure. I should tell her I love her, then we could be happy and stuff, but I didn't want to ruin the moment.

I couldn't meet her eyes this close, which meant I couldn't read her. "Is the Island not lovely?" It sounded like she wanted to make small talk. She was fidgeting with her fingers.

It wouldn't help the situation to say I disagreed. But, to my surprise, I started to see the Island's beauty. We would return to this Island more often.

"Yes, it is." I moved a little. Maybe if I say some of those romantic things that fairytales people say, my previous silence would be forgotten. "Although it isn't the only lovely thing here."

I dared looking her in the eye when I said that. I saw her eyes widen and her head moved a bit up; she didn't expect what I said. "What do you mean?" Oh no, what do I say next? Maybe I should mention the apples...

No. The apples wouldn't surprise her. It had to come from deep within. "Well, you have these stunning green eyes. Nothing can beat those." Aarg, why did I say that? I hoped she wouldn't freak out.

What if she didn't like the fairy tale stuff? Or, if she did, didn't saw me as a worthy Pokémon? Then she would think I'm a softie. A softie Pirate Captain.

She moved a bit, too, and we looked at each other, trapped in the other's gaze. It was like time stopped for a while. The 'flying lights' became less, but a few remained.

I leaned in and so did she. Our lips almost met... we already forgot about the apples, when suddenly the ground started shaking. The moment gone, we looked at the mountain. We also saw it actually was a _volcano_ and it was erupting.

Multiple apples fell from the trees. Pichu grasped a Berry - she had hidden it at her side opposite from me- which she had with her.

She was looking worried. Of course, a volcano was erupting, but _I_ was here to protect her. She didn't have to be worried.

She said: "Here, eat it! It is a Shuca Berry. It will lower the damage from the Earthquake for you." I ate the Berry quickly. I ignored the spiciness. Pichu was right, it did help for the Earthquake. I felt almost unscathed. I saw that she had eaten one herself.

I looked back to the volcano. Smoke was visible, but it was thin. The ashes wouldn't reach us. "I don't think we are in danger here."

I knew how true my words were. I was happy I went to search for her. "We should wait until the volcano calms down. It doesn't look that bad, so it should only take a few minutes, half an hour at the most." She nodded, but her gaze was focused on the volcano.

"Yes, I think you are right."

Then there was a loud roar, and a Pokémon emerged from the volcano. It was really small at first, but the closer it got, the bigger it became.

I could not believe my eyes. It looked like the legend Entei. He was getting closer by the second. It was really frightening - seeing something approaching you without a way out.

Pichu clung onto me, just like she did when Raikou appeared. Finally Entei reached us, and he looked at us with his almighty glare, nothing more, and nothing less. Pichu didn't see it, as she had closed her eyes shut tight. His glare was as if he wanted to say something important. He just stood there.

Pichu had opened her eyes after a minute, and was the first to say something. "Do you want to say something?" Pichu asked in a small, shaky voice. I didn't know _why_ she said that, but I'm sure she had her motives.

Scratch that, she is unpredictable. Maybe she doesn't have any motives for asking.

"Save the world." Entei's voice echoed a bit - thus giving it more authority - and then he ran away. That was even scarier than the glaring.

We didn't move. I knew Entei was gone, but his words kept running through my head. What did he mean by 'Save the world'? Suddenly, there was a flash of pink and I was lying on the ground. Had I fallen out of the tree? I _had_ to be out of shape.

" Mew?...!" It was Mew... I think. Yes, it really is Mew. What is she doing here? What does she want?

"Mew, MEW!" I think she has something important to say. Why isn't Esmeralda here? She would know what Mew had to say.

"Is there something wrong with the ship?" I asked. Mew was shaking no. Well, at least my ship was safe.

"Is it about the volcano?" She shook no, but then she nodded yes. Yes, this conversation was _really_ clear to both sides. Mew was terrible at communication.

"Does it have to do with... I don't know, something big?" She nodded yes furiously. Too bad I had _no_ idea what she was talking about.

* * *

><p><em>The Secret Training (Pichu's Point of View)<em>

_I took a look at the table of contents of my 'Train How To'. There was only one move I could try to learn in here, the move named Swift. I went to the page being slightly impatient. I had to take my mind to somewhere else, and I knew this would help._

_I read the introduction of the attack. It said: "Star-shaped rays are shot at the foe. This attack never misses. Sometimes it's referred to as Speed Star. When used in a performance, it's most beautiful if done in the start as an opening."_

_That is a move that could be useful. If I would ever need it. Maybe I would need to protect myself from my... my fiancé. Protect would be a better move, unless I would want to hurt him-_

_Do not think about that. I started reading the manual, but there was not that much information in it as usual._

_First, I had to concentrate - think about star-shaped objects. I saw 'Pichu' in the list of Pokémon who had to use the mouth, while some other Pokémon had to use their tail to make the stars appear._

_After that I had to take a deep breath. I repeated the first two steps, before moving on to the next one._

_I looked around the tree house, and found the spot. I would aim for the window. I learned it would be safer to make the attack go outside, rather than focusing on a spot inside the tree house. _

_The inside was a bit damaged, but not too much. I bet even a Snorlax could not get it down._

_Step Three was already using the move. I had to visualize the star-shaped objects and let the air escape at the same time. This was the hardest part._

_I tried it after half a minute, but, and I knew I would, I failed to make star-shaped objects materialize. I took a look at the picture - It was a Buizel performing the attack. The stars were a dark yellow, almost golden._

_I tried again, but not even_ _one star materialized._

_I stared at the window. The view was exquisite. Green and red, leaves and apples. Better than my terrible room._

_I closed my eyes while performing the steps. My eyes shot open after the third one. I could see three stars move to the window - they passed through it._

_The feeling was difficult to describe, but amazement came close. The stars appeared in front of me, instead of inside me. I was happy it materialized in front of me._

_I tried it with my eyes open, but this time no stars appeared. Seven stars appeared when I did it with my eyes closed._

_Closed eyes were better for the concentrating part._

_I made a few useless attempts with my eyes open, and after many tries some stars materialized. Six star-shaped objects._

_I practiced until it almost went automatically. I could make stars appear in a second._

_I looked around - probably for the last time - and walked around slowly. I let my hands slide across the walls, and moved to the corner where all the magazines were piled up._

_I knew it would not be wise to let that one here, without me, so I took three with me. _

_I took a last look around me - the last of many - and still could not believe it. How could my life change so drastically within a day? I was trying to prolong my time here - I would not get any more time._

_I had been outside too long, I knew that. So I stopped the training and decided to get an apple._

***Author Note -Cliff-hanger! Sorry guys, but I don't know another end for this chapter. I don't like the cliff-hanger either, it just doesn't feel right. I (Orange) really thought about the song 'Kiss the girl' from the movie 'The little mermaid' while I wrote the apple tree scene. Oh! And Pichu was right! There really _was_ a monster! So take a lesson out of it: be careful what you wish for! **

**Oh, and I just noticed; chapter fifteen is actually pretty late for an almost kiss - how terrible of us!***


	16. Background Story Pichu

**Background Story Pichu**

***Author Note – You know how we wrote a short/longer background story on the Crew Members? We have written a background story for Pichu, and it became longer and longer, so it turned into a Chapter! It's an extra, if I'm correct, so it won't take the next chapter away from you for another week!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon in any way. We only write this story with Pokémon, but nothing more.***

**No! This Chapter doesn't really have a name. But it's thanks to our faithful reviewer! **

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><p><em><strong>Pichu's Point of <strong>**View **~ Flashback_

My life was all planned out even before I hatched. My parents had summoned a Xatu, so they could know my gender and a part of the future. After that, they started planning. Marriages were not completely thought out, since there could be higher priorities in the future.

I did not know everything, even though I was able to hear their conversations when I was in my room. I never knew the whole truth - of course not - as their conversations were mystical. I could not get the message hidden underneath their sentences, no matter how hard I tried. The only thing I found out was that I had to be protected, all the time. I heard some maids say it when they thought I was asleep.

I never felt at ease at night. My room was too large for a Pichu like me. My room did not even _look_ like a room. I would be able to live here, there was no need for living in the whole palace. It would take hours to go through each room of the palace.

It actually was a castle, but my father always referred to it as a palace.

There was a fire place at the North side of the room, and candles were present in the other parts.

I was never allowed to light a candle; it would be too dangerous. So the maids would light them while I was having breakfast with my parents. When I returned, the candles were lit, and the fireplace was burning.

My bed, it was simply too big. It felt as if I could fit in it over a thousand times. I never got used to it, and I knew I never would.

And the walls? The walls were painted by Smeargle in two colours. The colours my country had. Green and red, but not leaf-green and apple-red. It was painted with an awful tint. The best way to say it was black-green and dark-red. Really dark red. They were painted in a complicated pattern, but the colours made me feel claustrophobic.

Claustrophobic in such a big room.

The desk was the only decent object in my room. It had a fitting chair, there were no problems with my height. When I was unable to do anything in my room, I would pick up my quill, and start to write. Most of the time, I would practice my handwriting; a Princess needed a beautiful handwriting. My mother encouraged me to keep it up, so I did. I admired her in various ways.

Multiple couches, chairs and pillows were present in the room. There was room for twenty Pokémon to be seated with more than enough space. I only used the chair at the desk - never had I seated myself on the couches.

Next to that, I had one place where I felt like the girl in those fairy tales. I would sit next to the window, and stare at the one place that would change with every season.

It looked like Winter Wonderland in the snow. I always liked the snow, but my father saw it as a bother. It slowed down all messages. In Spring, I would often get out of bed early, only to see the glistening red and green. I would stare at those the same way as in Summer. And Fall was special; the leaves on the apple trees were changing colours, something that always amazed me. The apple trees were my ups of the day.

Unfortunately, I could only _look_ instead of being outside most of the time. On most days, one hour was the time I was given outside. Body guards always had an eye on me, as I was the Princess.

That was my life _inside_ my room. It was a big part in my life. I could not walk down the stairs when I wanted. I had to wait for an adult, be it a maid or my mother. To say it, when I was young, an adult had to walk me up and down the stairs for my own safety.

Well, I thought so. When I got older, I found out I still had to be walked up and down the stairs. I was seen as a reckless Princess, although my dresses never got a spot of dirt on them. I had never fallen, yet everyone else in the castle thought I would endanger myself. I knew I would not, if they just simply gave me a _chance_.

The daily routine was simple. I would wake up, wait for the maids to 'wake me up' and they would help me getting dressed. Two of them would escort me toward the table - solely made for breakfast - where my father and mother were waiting. Apples would be eaten through the whole year. Our own in Summer and Spring, while the apples in Fall and Winter were brought from a different country.

We would sometimes chit-chat, but we ate in silence most of the times. The times we _did_ speak, the subject would be me and my lessons.

I had to learn how to speak in public, without my own opinion. I had to be neutral. Next to that, my way of speaking had to be flawless, nothing was allowed to be said short. It was always 'do not' in the place of 'don't'. My father would give me useless tips on how to improve in my lessons.

All added, I had to _write_ flawless, I had to _speak_ flawless and I had to _walk_ flawless. Next to doing these movements flawless, I had to be taught the mistakes Queens and Kings before me made. A mistake should not be made twice. History, politics, and knowing my country. I was not sure how Kings and Queens managed to survive all this.

I will continue with the day. After breakfast, my father would often leave the castle. He would listen to his people, and try to make their situation more comfortable. He was a fair King, always making sure the Pokémon were happy. So the Pokémon _were_ happy.

Everyone, apart from me. When he leaves, I would be brought back to my room. There I would study for hours straight, always accompanied by maids. It made me feel like a prisoner. And in some way, the castle was a prison itself. I never left the walls around our land, I never had a day off, or another routine.

Everything was scheduled.

All I wrote down in my spare time would be read by maids, my mother and my father. I wanted to write down my thoughts, without being scared of the thought everyone would read it.

I made up my own secret language, only for myself. It was not that difficult to come up with, but it certainly was hard to discover. An "A" would be a "Z" and the other way around. A "B" would turn into a "Y", a "V" would become an "E". My father became frustrated by my coding, but he never found out how to uncover the real written text. My mother stayed silent about it.

My life became more bearable after that. I found out how to survive this life. First, I had to learn the rules used to play this ´game´ called life. When I knew them by heart, I was playing it better than anyone in the castle, maybe apart from the one who taught it to me - my mother. No one was able to guess my real emotions, nor were they able to uncover my thoughts. It was not possible to control me anymore.

In my younger years, I felt like a piece in chess, being played against my will. Now I would win the game easily. Not even my father was able to beat my act. I was finally a person at this moment.

Of course, my freedom time was limited. The way I played the game could only lengthen my time by an hour, but it was worth it. My mother thought it would not hurt to stay outside in the fresh air for a bit longer. There was no need for convincing her, as she was already convinced.

She would even let me have an hour outside when it rained or snowed. She asked me to stay inside when there was lightning, as that was dangerous. My mother was one who knew the rules of the game. I always obeyed her without questioning, although she never let room for a question. She explained every unclear part.

My mother decided to make my time outside more special; we made a tree house together, she managed to get the guards away. It was _our_ tree house, and it felt more my room than the one at the castle. I remember every happy memory from the tree house, and those are many. Probably since the life in the tree house is more secure, and more hidden. Those were great times in my life.

One day was very clear in my memory.

My mother and I were walking outside, in the snow. The snow was falling down, and we were talking about all and nothing. She had told me how snow could fall from clouds. She also said she knew so much about snow, as she was the Princess of the Mountain of Ice at first. She had lived there for eighteen years, and she was telling me all about her life. It was almost identical to mine.

I listened with big eyes. I never thought our lives would be so much the same. She was not one for big rooms, either. She felt locked up in the castle, so she wanted to go outside with me, hopefully every day. That was one of the reasons she helped me by giving a hidden place.

This was the last day I walked outside with my mother. At the end of her story, her hand flew to her mouth, and she coughed. I froze when she brought her hand down. Blood was visible on it. My mother coughed up blood, and I knew it was a bad sign. The red blood fell on the white, as if my mother painted the white snow.

It made me think about 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', where the white roses were painted red. I never liked that part. The white, with the meaning 'Purity', and 'Innocence', turned into 'Courage & Passion'. The 'innocence' and 'purity' were gone in its meaning. I never thought it was positive, to lose something so beautiful in meaning.

The guards came in action in a blinding flash. My mother was lifted up by a Machoke, and a Wingull flew to the palace, to warn the maids outside. I heard the roar of a Mightyena through the cold air. I knew what it meant; a doctor was called through this fast communication, and my father would be informed.

I ran and ran. I could not see anything through my watery eyes, they were overflowing, but I continued running. The Machoke was already inside, and I felt powerless. When I entered, I could see my mother lying on a couch. The doctor and my father hadn't arrived yet. I ran to my mother's side, and did all within my power to calm my mother.

She was in a bad shape, the heat inside the castle was not helping her fever after being outside. She was shaking, and kept mumbling about the cold. When she was not talking about the cold, she was muttering about unknown things for me.

The doctor - a Togetic - entered the room, only minutes after being called. He made me leave the room, as he did not want me to see this.

I was sitting alone - left alone by the maids, they had to either assist the doctor or continue their usual tasks - and felt locked up in my own head. My father rushed by and went into the room I had to leave.

I did not want to think of the worst, but it would not leave my head. No one informed me how my mother was doing, I was in my father's eyes a small child that should be protected. As if not telling me would be of any help. My mother was the Pokémon that _understood_ me. She was my friend, if only for that _one_ hour on the day I spoke to her freely.

In a normal day, I would return to my room to study after walking outside for an hour. Today, the routine broke for the first time.

Not even that deep down, I knew my mother was sick. I only knew it after the blood-coughing, but it was frightening. No one told me what was going on, yet I was relieved I was not given any bad news.

My father came out of the room after a few hours. He did not look at ease, and his face seemed years older. He did not even glance at me, so I ran in the room. The doctor already left the room, as the situation was not critical anymore. My mother was breathing to my surprise, and I stumbled over to the couch.

She was awake, and her gaze crept up to my face. She was panting and shaking, but her look was steady.

Her hands moved to her necklace, a silver coloured feather, and the feather got the colours of a rainbow when held in light - no matter how faint. It was an item worn by many, it even crossed the boundaries of the country. I did not know the exact meaning of it, but it had to do with the legend of 'The MasterPokémon'.

She gave the necklace with shaky hands to me, without words. Her eyes, the same eyes as I had, said everything words could not describe. My hands, as shaky as hers, opened, ready to receive her gift. Her last gift.

My father entered the room after a while. He saw me this time, and had a maid bring me to my room.

It was a sleepless night, and my tears kept coming from my eyes. Since the routine already broke this day, I broke the rule for the first time. I ran down the stairs, alone, for the first time in my life. It was silent in my mother's room, only one nurse was walking around - I made sure she did not see me.

She was laying on the couch peacefully, and I crept to her. Her skin was pale, almost white - unusual for a Pikachu. Her breathing was shallow, and her condition had worsened. I prayed for her that night. And if she would not survive this, I prayed for her going to Heaven.

I left the room a short time before sun rise, and ran to my room. I made it unseen, and got into the bed.

My father entered the room a few minutes later - for the first time in my life - and the meaning made me cry some more. He told me my mother would not wake up anymore.

The mealtimes were always silent after that. I never had a talk with my father.

I almost never wore the necklace, as it should only be worn at special occasions. I hid it in my first 'Train How To', the only one my mother gave me. I would get other 'Train How To' magazines by asking one of the maids, a Charmander. She was kind, and was the only maid that did not get intimidated by my father. I was happy she was one of the maids.

I never wanted to look in the mirror, and see those green eyes staring at me. Even the thought of seeing her in my own eyes was terrifying. Up till today, I have never looked in a mirror since then. And I want to keep it that way.

~ _Ending Flashback_

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><p>I had the 'Train How To' with me; it was the first one I had hidden underneath my dress. I was glad the necklace was not at home or deep in the sea. It was the only thing I had left from my mother, or at least, the only important thing.<p>

I only wore it once, at the funeral. I often cleaned it, but I had not done so at the ship. I was scared of showing it to anyone, especially pirates who were after money. Next to that, I would not be able to keep my emotions hidden after seeing it again. And I did not want to lose myself on a Pirate ship, it did not even matter how nice the Pirates were.

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><p><em>A prisoner in a palace<br>Locked up in a room for the reason 'studying'  
>It is 'a' room instead of 'her' room<em>

_Not a thing in it is hers  
>Not a minute at day is she alone<em>

_A father that does not bother to talk with his daughter  
>He avoids her as much as he can<em>

_A loving mother  
>Knowing and all about the situation<br>She cared and did her best at educating  
><em>_The game is not something written in books_

_The moment outside seemed longer than it was  
>An hour looked like a day even if it felt like time flew<em>

_She lost her mother and only friend at the same day  
>Her life changed a lot because of it<em>

_She became even more closed to her father  
>And never thought happiness would become hers<em>

_She made peace with being a Pichu forever_

***Author Note - The rainbow (silver, but rainbow in light) feather has _two _****meanings. One: it's a sign for the MasterPokémon, to show its influence. Two: it's actually the cross, but we couldn't imagine the origin in this alternate universe. It wasn't _right_ to think up a Jesus in Pokémon version, so we thought up a decoy that would fit better. We had no intention in offending _anyone_ with this, so if we did, we like to apologize.* **


	17. Realization

**Chapter Seventeen: Realization**

***Author Note - I (Orange) was bothered by a question about my _own_ FanFic, but I found an answer and I am going to share it with you! I was thinking about the Eevee that _don't_ live on Eon Island. How did they get there? Because the Island was only reachable by teleportation and Eevee and evolutions can't learn Teleport. So I think that the MasterPokémon stopped by the Island and took some Eevee with him, so they would spread joy to the world! Mystery solved, or so I think...**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon. I don't have inspiration for a more explained disclaimer.***

**Here is Chapter Seventeen: Realization**

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><p><em><strong>Pikachirate's Point of View<strong>_

I wasn't getting wiser out of my 'conversation' with Mew, and she eventually teleported us back to the ship. I couldn't get anything of use about 'the big thing' out of Mew, but was grateful she came to get us. The trip back would have been... uncomfortable with Pichu.

I still wanted to know about this big thing.

And now I was looking at the ship. It looked like it was new. It didn't look like my ship. Underneath the steering wheel was the name plate. It said 'The Happy Eevee '. I wasn't happy about it. My ship is 'The Lightning Shadow' and not 'The Happy Eevee'. I think this is one of Mew's jokes. It has to be.

"Buneary, come here." She would know what to do about this… this _thing_. She knew about everything. Nothing was hidden for her on the ship.

She arrived in a blink. "Yes, Captain?" I could see she was hiding a giggle. She must be in on it, too.

"Buneary, what is that thing doing there?" I pointed at the name plate. I wanted it gone, anyone would want that in my position.

Buneary pretended not to know what I was talking about. "What do you mean, Captain?" She was overdoing it. She seemed too innocent. "All I see is the steering wheel." She didn't mention the name of my ship.

"And why is it called 'The Happy Eevee'?" I was getting angry. Buneary was looking over her shoulder, looking for someone to save her.

A small smile appeared on her face for a second. "Oh, is it Pichu there? I must help her. Bye, Captain!" And she was gone. Pretending to help Pichu. I heard a giggle and turned around. It was Mew.

Let's ask the number one at making jokes. "Mew, why is the ship called 'The Happy Eevee?' Mew tilted her head and pointed at the name plate. I looked at it. The name plate said 'The Lightning Shadow', just as it usually did. I was going crazy. Moments ago, it said 'The Happy Eevee' and now it says 'The Lightning Shadow'. What is going on here?

I heard Chansey sighing; she probably felt sorry for me and helped me out. "It is a joke Captain," Chansey said. "Mew put you under Hypnosis so that you would _think_ the ship was named 'The Happy Eevee'." Now I really want to get off this Island. I had _enough_ of all these happy Eevee and their happy Eevee Berries.

I frowned, and even Chansey took a step backwards. "Are we ready for departure? I don't want to stay here for another _minute_, do you hear me?" My patience had left me. No one dared to say anything back, so they left to get the supplies.

Mew transported apples to the ship, the same apples that surrounded Pichu and me yesterday. They fell because of the Earthquake, and Mew had picked them up. Chansey had patted Mew as a 'Thank you' for the apples.

I looked around, and saw Buneary talking to Gengar. The precious Princess was nowhere to be seen. She sneaked out on the scene while the joke was made.

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><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point of<em> _View_**

I got away from everyone's watchful eye, and went to the Captain's room. Hidden in my pillow were my most important possessions. My diary, the one Buneary gave me. The few 'Train How To' magazines I took with me, and the item most important to me was my necklace.

I opened my first 'Train How To' magazine for the first time in years. I never gave it a thought, but I always worried about it. My hands trembled; my subconscious did not want to open it.

Since I was not in a hurry, I searched for the key. That way, I really would not be in a hurry. I found it after a few minutes under a loose floorboard, it was a bit higher than the rest of the boards.

The key was in my hands, and I locked the door with no further thought; even though he saved me, I really _did _want to be alone on Eon Island. Now I would take some time for myself in this room, smaller than the one at the palace. Still, I felt more at ease here.

I seated myself on the bed. Tears were already present in my eyes. I closed my eyes and opened the magazine on touch. It felt the same as years ago, on the funeral. My hand had been on it during the whole funeral.

After calming myself for a moment, I opened my watery eyes. It was pretty dark in the room, but the feather got a beautiful glow to it. It was like a rainbow, a sparkling rainbow. The feather was made of some sort of metal that always felt cold, but in a pleasant way.

My tears fell on the feather, obtaining their own rainbow glow. It was the first time I broke down after being kidnapped. I did not know how I managed not doing it earlier. It definitely had something to do with all of them being nice to me - it was a misunderstanding - instead of locking me up in a dark and dusty room.

I lay down, and held the feather above my head. I knew more about the MasterPokémon at this point, more than I was ever told about it. This necklace - with its feather - looked different from the ones in the shops at Plaza des Labyrinthos, or around the necks of other Pokémon at that place. It was special in more ways than I could imagine.

It could be since it was made - _hand made_ - at the Mountain of Ice. The substance used for creating it was, of course, different from the one used in the Land of Dragons. Or it was simply because my mother was a Princess at the time she got it. It could be an old object...

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><p><em><strong>Pikachirate's Point of View <strong>_

I would _not _look for the Princess. I had _better_ things to do, such as... as helping the Squirtle with their training. When I arrived at the training place, I already saw both their parents helping with the training.

I wouldn't be needed there.

I moved on to the Pelipper's office, where probably tons of messages were awaiting. I was running, ready to find a task that would take hours, but when I entered the office, I saw Buneary writing one last sentence.

She had finished the work in... probably in half an hour. Damn! I couldn't waste time here, either! The door hadn't closed, yet, so I left the room within the same second. I headed toward the small hospital on the ship.

But turned around after giving it a second thought. Chansey would make me eat apples. And then some more. Unfortunately for me, she already called me before I was out of her sight. "Captain! Hey, Captain! Could you come here for a moment?" she said in her usual voice. Her smile was on its place, yet it was different. She seemed happier than normal.

I grumbled. Maybe I had to wash the apples, or do something I didn't want to do. "Yes, Chansey, what is it?" I needed to escape, but couldn't come up with a decent way for it.

She brought her hands together. "Mew did the job, Captain! Now is a great time to give it to her!" My eyes didn't leave her face, not even when she put something in my frozen hand. "She successfully completed the mission I gave her!" I stared at the object in my hand; it was the apple necklace the Princess stared at.

No! Why did Chansey give me another reason to look for the Princess? I should give her some time to progress the... the... the Earthquake and the meeting of Entei! Since nothing else, nothing else important happened.

Well, you're a good liar if you could tell lies to yourself.

This meant I'm a terrible liar.

I went to my room. I had hopes she was there, and hopes she wouldn't be there. If she were, I could give the necklace to her and say I had to do Captain tasks. If she weren't there, I would lock myself up in my room and get some sleep. I hadn't slept long enough last night, as my mind was too busy progressing our first almost-kiss.

I saw she wanted it, too.

I opened the door to my room - actually, I _tried_ to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. It was locked, and I knew the key was hidden in a place no one would find. What happened? Did Esmeralda, Mew and Ditto already start their _new_ joke? I doubted it for a second, but it left later.

I sighed, and went to see Blastoise. I had had a bad morning, and now, I had a bad afternoon. I had to talk to him as I knew it would calm me down. So I went back to the training spot, but now I was there for Blastoise instead of the Squirtle twin.

I arrived after a minute of walking, and saw - luckily - Blastoise standing. The mother was helping Amy and William with their aim; as if they would need that. Their aim was above average.

"Blastoise, are you free at the moment?" I said. I knew he heard my tone. It needed a listening ear.

Blastoise sighed. "That's fine, Pikachu, what do you have on your mind?" Blastoise could become a therapist. A talk with him made me feel more like the Captain than anything else could.

We both sat down in the room, and I started complaining. "Nobody listens to me, you're the only one," I started. It felt fantastic to leave some of the stress that was built inside me. "And they use me as pawn. A pawn!" It had a calming effect. But I wasn't done, yet.

Blastoise kept saying: "Okay, yes, and after that?" It encouraged me to keep rattling about my problems.

"Chansey tried to hook me up with the Princess." Blastoise nodded, to show me he was listening. I noticed my hands were moving on their own, to describe my frustrations. "She wants me to give the Princess this necklace." I held the necklace up that I hadn't given her yet.

Blastoise was in deep thoughts; it was the same look he used to connect things. I asked: "What do I have to do, Blastoise?" I knew he, who was and still is in a romantic relationship, would know the answer.

His look changed. He had come to a conclusion. "Well, you like the Princess, right?" Of course, he wanted to know about it, too. Or it was something every looks-to-be-a-therapist would ask.

"Well..." I thought about our almost-kiss. My feelings at that point couldn't be ignored. "I guess." I didn't want Blastoise to know how much I cared about her.

Blastoise knew I was hiding something, and his conclusion had taken it into consideration. "Then you should tell her you love her." I stared at Blastoise. He didn't know I almost kissed her. He could tell I was in love. So he probably knew something happened. Or it was obvious on so many levels.

Maybe I should ask something I hadn't asked Blastoise - I didn't have a reason those days. "Blastoise... How do you know when you're in love? I mean... How do you describe that feeling...?" It was the first time I asked someone. It was a relief to say it out loud.

Blastoise hesitated for a moment, but his answer was - as always - as clear as glass. "For me, it's when my heart beats a littler faster when I see her again. It never happened at the sight of another women, and we often drown in each other's eyes. We could almost see the thoughts in each other's eyes. It's a feeling that takes you over every time you see your loved one." I recognized his description. It felt like I was in love. Very deeply.

Okay. I have to stop thinking now. A place where I can be alone. "Thanks for telling me, Blastoise," I managed to say. My body made no intention to move. It should! But it wouldn't move.

"You're welcome. I think we should leave you alone for a moment?" He could read my thoughts. He was already walking out of the room with his family.

I lay down and tried not to think. Or at least, not to think about the Princess. I didn't know in what way I should give her the necklace. I should wait for a special moment. It would come, as long as I would be patient. I could be patient. Really!

I heard Buneary enter the room. "Captain, it's time for dinner. Can you come with me?" She said it as a friend. It wasn't a must, so I could choose. I wasn't feeling good enough for dinner so I decided to skip dinner this day.

"No, I won't be joining you. I don't need dinner today." Buneary nodded a short moment.

She sighed. "If you're not hungry I can't force you. Have fun in the training room!" The door closed. Yup! I was already full! With the usual butterflies in my stomach... And they were more present now than they ever were in the past. The past few weeks, actually.

***Author Note - So, what do you think about this chapter? Did it fit with the rest of the story, were errors present? Did you _enjoy_ it? Or was it below your expectations? We want to know if this story fits, and - as the writers - we can't figure that out alone. So, please review. :D***


	18. How's Your Day?

**Chapter Eighteen: How's Your Day?**

***Author Note – Tadaah, a new Chapter! Thank you CallinConnor, now this chapter has a bit more meaning to it!**

**Disclaimer: We – in no way – own Pokémon. We _don't _own it.***

**In short, here is Chapter Eighteen: How's Your Day? (a.k.a. The No-Inspiration-Filler-Chapter-With-Slightly-Important-Twists)**

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><p><em><strong>Pichu's Point of View<strong>_

Buneary found me in the Captain's room – she saw me walking away – and took me to lunch. I already knew Pikachirate was not there, it was a feeling.

I thought back to the moment he tried to open the door. It took all of myself not to make a sound; I was in tears, broken in soul for a short time. I was not able to look another Pokémon in the eye, as I would break down completely. No one was allowed to know my weakness.

"Pichu, hey, Pichu, do you want an apple?" Buneary asked to cheer me up. My thoughts went to the back of my head, and I smiled – I realized I smiled here more often than I did in the castle.

"Yes, I always want an apple," I answered back. She handed me an apple – yellow and red – and I listened to the conversation Chansey had with Blastoise.

Chansey frowned. "Why isn't the Captain here?" Blastoise shook his head. Intuitionally I stared down at my apple. I was certain he gave me a quick look.

"Well," he started. He was whispering, but I managed to get his whole sentence. "He is freaking out. He don't know _when_ and _where_ he should give it to her." Her? What were they talking about? What did he want to give me?

Chansey sighed – skipping lunch was not the best idea – and answered in a soft voice. "I will talk to him, maybe Buneary and I can help him with the message to make it perfect!" She could not resist to clap in her hands at the end.

Blastoise looked around again – I saw it in the corner of my eye. He seemed to feel like he was ready to get caught.

Maybe Pikachirate would want to wait with this 'gift'. Now I wonder what this gift is – and I have to find a gift for him, too. I really should.

My apple was finished - my cover was gone - so I made some small talk with Buneary and Abra. We were talking about the party, since there was more than enough to talk about it.

Blastoise and Chansey left the table rather soon, I suspected them of planning something. Alright, I _knew_ they were planning something. I did not want to be tempted to spy on them. I knew I would fail.

That is why I asked Buneary if I could see what her job is like. She agreed of course, and was probably happy I wanted to see a day out of her life.

"What do you actually _do_ all day? I see you multiple times, since you walk around. Why is that?" I had to know. Only know I realized I wanted to know, but her life and job here would make our friendship stronger. I told her all about my life as a Princess, yet she had not told me about hers.

We were walking to the 'hospital'. "I walk around the ship. If something is wrong, or if anyone needs information about something, I will be there to answer it. It's also more fun, because I can chit-chat with others. It would be a tough job if I felt isolated from the rest, you know?" It made sense, and I could see how that worked.

We entered Chansey's workroom. I answered after some thinking. "So... It is motivating and easier to be walking, instead of sitting in your room. Do you walk in a routine, or is it spontaneous?" I kept asking, and I knew Buneary would happily give an answer.

Buneary laughed. "I told myself to keep it spontaneous, but the secretary in me always led me through a certain path, so it's more a routine. I walk around automatically," she explained. She waved to Chansey, who waved back energetically. I waved, too. "Hey Chansey, how are you? Is it going as usual?" Buneary asked. I saw Happiny trying to act like her mother. She must have much respect for her.

When Chansey smiled, Happiny smiled. "No injuries up till now, so it's good news." I looked around; the room was larger than the Captain's room, which surprised me for a bit. It was clean and had an aroma. It was calming, something I had not felt in any other room where medics was practiced. It always got a strange, unpleasant feeling when the doctor entered for me, but not here.

We talked for a bit more, and Chansey told me how she and Happiny ended up here, at the ship. I felt strange, it was not a happy story. She also told about Mew, Ditto and Esmeralda. Chansey obviously thought I had the right to know it.

Buneary turned around. "Well, we'll be back again, so we will see you later!" We continued to walk on the routine. "Now we are going to check on Mew - she will like it." We continued our trip, and I could see some pink smoke from beneath the door. "Wait for a moment, Pichu," Buneary said with a smile.

She knocked on the door, but with an irregular and long knock. The door 'magically' opened. "Mew!" Mew was, as usual, turning somersaults. I could see Ditto behind her, and Esmeralda, too. They were playing with pink smoke.

I was stunned. There was too much to look at here. Describing it was almost impossible.

The room looked like it belonged to a child. There were toys _everywhere,_ and the room was filled with colours. I could not make out the colour the wall was painted in, as it was painted in too many colours.

There were also lots of shiny things, they were blinding me with their shininess. There were also a few balloons floating through the air - slowly. Soap bells were ever present in.

I do not know what to think about the room. It was really strange. It was just not _real._

I laid my eyes on one of the many objects in the room. It was Pikachirate's pillow. He was complaining about how he could not sleep because his pillow was gone. He even suspected Mew from stealing it, and it was another thing to see it as the truth.

I saw Buneary discussing with herself if she should try to get trough the thick layer of toys, but she knew better and just stood in the door opening. "Mew, give the Captain his pillow back. Otherwise, he might consider leaving you on the next island," she said looking very seriously. I knew she meant it. "You don't want to anger the Captain." Mew nodded and left with the pillow, only to return seconds later without it.

We left after a few more minutes - small talk time was over - and went to the deck. There always was someone on the deck. This time, it was Abra. "Hey Abra!" Buneary said. Abra turned around, and stared. "Are you looking at the sea again?" Buneary was pretty sure about that, so she must know all about everyone.

Abra nodded. "I don't need to tell you; you know all about it. It just has a beautiful indigo colour..." Abra did not finish his sentence. I got frustrated, it made me think about my father, and I did not want that.

After half a minute, Buneary urged Abra to talk. Abra told me his background story - a bit unwilling - but he still told me. Sadness came over me again. The silence was in the air.

"Well," Buneary said to break the silence," we will be going now! Enjoy the sea!" We left in a friendly way. Abra was still staring at the sea.

"Buneary?" I asked. "Do you know all about me? I mean, you got messages about me from... Charmander." It was difficult to say it. He was still the one who left me on this ship.

She stopped walking, and I did so too. "I have read a lot about you, I can't deny that. But Charmander's information doesn't seem to be as accurate as we thought. You knew how to manipulate him, and that means our predictions about you as a _Queen_ is wrong." I was shocked. I was not aware this would be predicted.

"You... you predict certain events that might happen? How did you describe me as a Queen?" I wanted to know - how did Charmander see me? As a vulnerable Pichu, like everybody else did?

Buneary began walking again. "Let's go to my room, it will be in my room." So we went to her room. She took hold of a notebook without hesitation, and opened it.

"Well...? Is it bad?" I asked in a broken voice. It is rough on you if you get to know how others saw you.

"Okay. Calm down, it's not as bad as you think. It says here you will be a Queen who follows the will of the King... Can you picture yourself doing that?" No. I can't see that, as we should be equal. "As a Princess, you were 'unsure' of yourself, and 'shy'. Next to those, you were a silent type, who loves reading. Are you the silent type?" she asked curiously.

"I am the silent type, but only because I am observing. Know them, before they know you, that is what I have been told," I answered. It was true, yet you could not know everything with only observing.

"I'm glad you're not the Pokémon described in this note book, you would have locked yourself up in a room." She smiled at me, happy I was indeed not that Pokémon they thought I was. She sighed and took a moment to lose some thoughts.

"I think I'm obliged to tell you _my _background story. You told me yours, so I will tell mine." And she told me about her life. It was descriptive, as if she knew every single detail from it. It was terrible to hear – I never knew the Crew had such terrible lives.

Buneary sighed once again, and put on a smile. "Let's see if there is a new message," she said.

We went to another room - I never had been there. It was silent when we entered, and no Pokémon was in sight. "Where are the Pelipper, Buneary?" I asked. She answered with simplicity.

"You don't want to be locked in a room all day, so why should they? Most of them are delivering messages, while others are somewhere on sea." She walked to a pile of letters, and I could not help but notice a letter.

I recognized the post stamp - It was from the Land of Dragons. I corresponded with the Princess there, Dratini, 'The Silver Feather'. The safety name was always a colour or something special, like gold, and an item. I was the one who went to The Land of Yellow, but in the letters it was 'The Golden Apple'.

Unfortunately for us, we could not correspond like friends. Dratini could not use a quill to write, so she had to dictate. There was only a formal tone in the letters that were sent to Princesses. Other Princesses were the closest to friends, yet they could not _be_ my friend. The formality was in the way for that.

Buneary was scribbling notes down, and in a flash I could see the safety name. I remained silent, as she did not ask me if I knew anything about it. I did not feel the need to tell her about it at the moment.

"Pichu, shall we go to Sneasel, now?" I was not sure what his task was. I only saw him at the party, we never talked. "I can give him directions to where he has to go to," she finished, without knowing I did not understand it.

We continued our walking - it was a bit tiring, and that surprised me - and I saw Sneasel on the deck. He said: "Hey, Buneary, change of directions?" He stood next to the steering wheel, so I can say with certainty he is the one to steer it.

Buneary smiled. "Yes, we are not going to Plaza del Catans, so could you move us to the Mountain of Ice?" Sneasel smiled - it was a reaction to what Buneary said - and took his job. I wondered what was going on between them, but before I could come to the wrong conclusions, Buneary spoke again. "I'm sure _you_ are happy - you can see Roselia again after some time." Buneary knew... _so much_. It is a bit intimidating, yet gives a confident feeling to have her as a friend.

"Roselia?" I asked. Just like the other Crew Members, Sneasel told me his past, how he met a Roselia that made the sun shine for the first time in his life - literally. This story had both sadness and romance in it. I felt a bit better after hearing it.

Thinking about the Mountain of Ice, I was actually not happy, and happy we went to the Mountain of Ice. It was a place I wanted to visit sometimes, but I wanted to avoid it, too. It was the birthplace of my mother, and I am sure I was known there - even if it was by few.

"Why are we going to the Mountain of Ice?" It was said perfectly, even though I hesitated. I did not want to ask the question, yet I had to. It was emotional to think – think about what I opened up for on this very day. It was haunting me.

Buneary did not care that much. "Just a place where we can be safe, it's a distant island and one of our 'spies' is there. Sometimes letters aren't enough and you have to talk with someone face to face, don't you think so?" I nodded, at loss for words. It was overwhelming, and I had to stop thinking about it. Had to.

"I have not seen Pikachirate yet," I said to change the subject. "Do you think he is hiding for someone?" I knew there was some truth in it, but I did not want to see it. I should have said something else.

"Well, I think it's best to avoid him for the rest of the day. He needs a day of rest as a Captain." She, too, had hesitated. She wanted to say something else, but had changed her sentence in the middle.

"So, where are you headed to now?" I asked to lighten the mood - again.

Buneary fell back in her routine. "We're going to Chatot; he has a good intuition, knows when something dark is coming up. For example, he didn't want to steal the... 'The Golden Apple', even though he never backed out of those things before. I mean stealing important objects." I started to learn more about the Crew by the day. And today by the minute.

When we entered - yet another room - Chatot already began speaking. "I don't know for sure, but the direction we are going..." He did not finish his sentence.

"Yes?" Buneary urged him. I felt like a Pokémon who never spoke. Buneary did most of the talking.

"It's a bit mixed. Good things happen, but so do dangerous events," Chatot finished. Chatot shared a look with Buneary, and I saw Buneary nodding. I did not know what to make out of it. Buneary scribbled something down in one of her notebooks.

"Anything else? How are you today?" Buneary asked in a more relaxed tone. I stood in a corner of the room, silent and observing.

Chatot flew around for a bit. "I'm glad we're not at Eon Island anymore. It was a bit too filled with joy, in my opinion," Chatot chattered. "Not that I was on the island for that long, but it was too much. They were too happy, as if they stole all the happiness," he continued. I did not want to believe that. Happiness was not equally in this world, but it was definitely _not_ only on Eon Island.

He told me a bit about his past, but it was lacking. He told me in one sentence he met Charmander, and that they went to Pikachirate together. End of story.

I thought I would not be able to stand the rest of the conversation, so I cleared my head and tried to think about nothing. I failed miserably - I thought about the almost-kiss, the legends Buneary told... And of course about the necklace. I should not have taken a look at it nor given it a thought.

The sun went down - it was going faster as we went to the North-East, we moved away from it.

Buneary told me about Blastoise past, and I froze when I heard he saved Pikachirate. I had not expected that.

Buneary did not tell me about Pikachirate's past. I did not ask her to tell me about it, as I knew it was too personal.

Buneary startled me. "How's your day? Had fun?" Buneary asked. She had asked all the other Crew Members, but now she wanted to know what I thought about the day.

"Unusual, and I felt a bit down. Still, the day got better when we walked," I answered. It took the time away. Time is immeasurable, it is just a difference between the first and the second moment.

"Why were you feeling down?" Buneary sounded concerned. "Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened." I tried to sound like nothing happened. "Just some thoughts about things in the past–" I stopped talking. Buneary has a good memory – I stayed silent.

"Are you sure you are alright?" she asked. She asked it as a friend, and worry was audible in her voice. I felt slightly better.

"Yes, I am fine," I said in an assuring voice. "Only tired, that is all." I needed some sleep.

"You should get some sleep, then." She was right, of course she was.

"That is a good idea. Goodnight, Buneary." I walked to the Captain's room. The bed sounded very comfortable at the moment.

I heard Buneary say: "Goodnight Pichu." Today was a productive day. I am sure she thought so, too.

* * *

><p><em>She is the most beautiful Princess of all<br>In both looks and thoughts_

_A strong weapon she is  
>Even though she thinks otherwise<em>

_Her manners are always present  
>And her knowledge of the country is massive<em>

_She won the contest where she did not know she participated  
>Her prize was the title 'The Golden Apple'<em>

_To The Fairest_

***Author Note - We explained the name 'The Golden Apple'. What did you think of it? Review if you like, whether you're a user or simply here for reading! :D***


	19. Handwriting  Handwritten For You

**Chapter Nineteen: Handwriting - Handwritten For You**

***Author Note - I will write an Author Note later. I really will! Like. . . Now? Orange is reading Pokémon Adventures, and I'm still trying to find the motivation to read Kanto. . . I already started reading Sinnoh, my favourite Region, and the manga is awesome. We really recomend that you read it too. There are some spelling mistakes in this chapter, but those are meant to be there.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Pokémon. Don't jump to the wrong conclusions when we _write_ about Pokémon. We just don't own it.**

**And here is Chapter Nineteen! It is called: Handwriting - Handwritten For You**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point of View<em>**

I was watching the stars from the deck. The reason was that I could not fall asleep.

I was really tired and went to bed early. Just when I was dozing off, Pikachirate entered the room.

He stared at his bed and saw that his pillow was _still_ gone. He muttered some things under his breath and went to lie down, but after a couple of minutes he got up again. It was terrible to try and fall asleep. He started pacing around while complaining about his pillow being gone. I do not think he was actually complaining to _me,_ so I went to deck to see the stars.

So, here I am. I think Pikachirate did not even notice me being gone. He was complaining in a different dimension - one where I did not exist.

I liked watching the stars from here. I could see them much clearer here than I ever could at home. I never got to watch the stars in the garden, so I always was limited to the window view.

I found a book about star constellations once. It was very interesting, but - as my view was limited - I could not find most constellations. But here on the deck, I could find many. It was nice to watch the stars and the Moon. The light that came from the Moon was enough to see, but not too bright to _not_ see the stars. It was perfect. I wish I could stay here forever.

"Are you watching the stars, Princess?" a male voice said. I turned around to see who was speaking, but saw no one. I was certain I heard someone speak. "Oh, I forgot you couldn't see me," the male voice continued. Maybe it was Arceus, or some other Legendary Pokémon.

What do you say to a Legendary Pokémon - _Arceus_ - if he speaks to you? 'Hello Legendary Pokémon, how are you doing?' My thoughts were interrupted by a thump next to me. It was Gengar.

"Pokémon usually don't see me in the dark." That would explain a lot. So it was Gengar talking to me and not some Legendary Pokémon. I was glad that it was Gengar, and not a Legendary Pokémon. If it _were_ a Legendary Pokémon, it would mean I was going either crazy, or going to meet all the higher up Pokémon. As I have met some before, so it did not seem unlikely.

"What brings you here tonight, Princess?" Gengar asked curiously. I was not sure about all my reasoning, but I had to leave the room with the pacing Pirate.

A thought returned to me. "I am thinking about a dream," I said cautiously. I still did not know if I could trust Gengar. "It was a strange dream, with lots of colours. At first, it was a nice blue colour, but suddenly it became red. I felt confused about the sudden change." Gengar frowned. It must be a strange story. He couldn't see the colours I saw, so it would not make any sense.

"Red? What turned red?" I forgot to tell him all the details in my hurry of letting it out. Well, at least he was listening.

I continued, and could see that Gengar was listening closely. "I could see a stone. Then I felt all _really_ dark emotions, I can't describe them properly. I _think_ the closest are rage and hatred, but in some way, those emotions are not strong enough to describe the feeling I felt." Gengar nodded. Still, his look was puzzled. He did not get everything from my dream.

He gave a reassuring smile. He tried to comfort me, as he knew he scared me a minute ago. "I probably don't know exactly what you mean, but I can understand the feeling of something that strong." I felt relieved someone could talk with me about these things, without looking at me in a strange way, as if I had lost my mind.

I gave him a small smile. "I suddenly knew that I was in a cave, don't ask me how. It felt like the stone was. . . was _calling_ for me. That I was destined to come there and find it. Then a large current entered the cave and I could only stare at it. Is that not a strange dream?" I finished. I had written a few things down of the dream in my diary. The details were now in my head, since I made sure to remember them. It felt important.

"Is that all?" Gengar asked. He seemed surprised. "It sounds like you've eaten too much apples lately," Gengar said accusingly with a glint of humour. He probably said it to lighten the mood; my dream was not really cheerful. "You know that it's not good for you, I tried to explain that to Chansey, too." I remembered the little scene. Chansey was good at being intimidating. So obviously Gengar had lost the argument.

I giggled. "Apples have been my breakfast for _years_ now, so I do not think that was the cause," I answered him with honesty. He was thinking with a serious look.

He continued. "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you," he said. It was comforting to know he did not say I was crazy. "It is just a weird dream, that's all. Most Pokémon have a strange dream every once in a while." Maybe the emotions from the kidnapping emerged, and came out in the dream. "It would be a _different_ story if you were a Xatu." Gengar was really thinking about all the options. "Then it would be vision of the future." I was in a happy mood again.

"You are right Gengar, thank you," I spoke with honesty. I was scared at first that he did not like me - I electrocuted him - but he accepted me. "I feel much better now." I smiled. And it was not an act.

"Well, I heard Buneary told you all about us, care to hear my past?" he said. I nodded, and, just like with the other stories, I felt sadness through me. It was not like a fairytale, yet a happy ending was happening. It just. . . was not completed at the moment.

I thought it would be best to talk about the present. "Do you watch stars often? Or is this night exceptional?" He automatically looked up at the stars.

"Sometimes. It's not unusual, but it is not a habit, either," was his answer. "Only at times when I need to calm down." We both stayed silent for a while.

We heard footsteps coming our way. When I turned around, my heart skipped a beat; it was Pikachirate.

Gengar suddenly had an excuse - coming out of no where - and left the two of us underneath the stars.

Why was Pikachu here? Did he not have to complain further about the loss of his pillow? Or was that a trick to get me away?

Maybe he wanted me to go outside, so he could follow. My heart fluttered. I was overthinking everything now.

"Pichu, I" - he was hesitating- "want to give you something." Well, if it was exquisite, he would not have said 'something'. Why would he name it 'something'?

"You want to give me _something_? What is the reason, have you not avoided me all day?" I knew there was some truth in that, yet I knew I had avoided him, too.

He took in a mouthful of air. "I had to prepare myself for this, you know? Write some things down and find the perfect moment," he said, probably trying to sound casual. He failed in it.

I gave him a small smile. "You have written a few sentences down? I hope I am able to read it," I said when he made no attempt at giving me anything.

Pikachu's cheeks got a bit redder. "Take a look above us. Can you see that star over there? It's Venus, and when seen, it's always brighter than the other stars," he said while pointing. I looked up with amazement and saw it. The star - and planet - Venus.

"It is a beautiful sight, I could look at it for the whole night," I replied. Pikachu looked down at me.

"I still have this. . . something for you. And I want to give it to you." His eyes met mine, and I was speechless for the moment.

Pikachu took an item - it was wrapped as a present - and gave it to me. There was a letter on top of it. I never thought Pikachu was this. . . type of Pokémon.

I slowly opened the letter and started to read.

_We were not friends in the start  
>We had hate pointed at the other<em>

_I was unreasonable  
>Yet you had every right to be<em>

_You started to amaze me in a for me unknown way  
>Maybe I did the same for you<em>

_At the party we stayed together  
>Without any 'have to'<em>

_You captured my heart multiple times_

_You took it when you 'escaped'  
>You did it whenever I saw you after the 'escape'<br>You moved me by leaving me on the island  
>I can not resist you not being with me<em>

_As you are my Princess  
>And I am your Pirate<em>

_- Pikachirate_

There were no errors, no wrongs in Grammar - even the handwriting was smooth. And the words were chosen with thoughts.

If that was only the letter, what would be the present? I was afraid of opening it. What would happen after I opened it? Would it be a joke, like Mew would do? No, it would not it is a present from pikachirate. Or would he do something like that?

I unwrapped the present with precise movements. Although I was curious, I still had to be elegant and dignified.

There was a necklace in it, and I froze. It was almost the same necklace as the one in that shop, but this one had more beauty. There was an apple on the necklace, but it was more red at the right side. There was a difference in colour.

The necklace itself was the colour silver. Even in the light of the stars I could see the brightness of it. It almost was a star itself, it was literally sparkling.

A bit hesitant, I looked Pikachirate in the eye.

He was not looking at me; he was taking a look at the letter he wrote. At least, he thought he had written.

"This isn't the letter I wrote for you! I shouldn't have trusted those two," he scuffed. I realized that it really was not his handwriting nor his style of writting.

I looked up at the stars. "Who wrote it, then? And what happened to your letter?" I asked. He did not answer it immediately.

"Blastoise helped me write _my_ letter, and someone must have stolen it - Chansey knew about it, so I think she went to Buneary to rewrite it. Those words used weren't exactly what I put in mine." He shook his head. "They must've thought I wasn't able to write a perfect letter for you."

I looked at him. "The necklace is beautiful, I have to say that. Or are you going to say it was not your idea, either?" He froze. Seems like I said the perfect truth. "I rather have you do not answer, I think I am capable of guessing the truth," I said in a small voice.

I walked to the Captain's Room in a steady pace - I did not want him to follow me, but I knew it was his room, too. I could hear him protest behind me. I still did not look back to him or slowed my pace.

I opened the door quickly, and shot in the room. It did not take long for me to find the key again, and managed to lock the door before Pikachirate made it. I could hear the door object when he tried to open it.

"Wait! Open the door, Pichu!" he pleaded. I knew he did not make it to the door in time as a reaction to my coldness. I was unreasonable, but I had to. He kind of betrayed me.

"Whose idea was it? I am talking about the necklace, whose idea was it?" I knew the answer; only Pikachu and Chansey saw me staring at that necklace.

He sighed. "You probably know already, but it was Chansey's idea." He was bonking his head to the door. He must think he did something wrong.

He did. But I should not lock him out of his own room. Before I opened it, I would hide the necklace. In the last 'Train How To' I used to train. After that, I hid them in my usual place.

I unlocked the door, even when I knew I would regret it. Pikachirate fell into the room - he was still bonking his head - and I skipped out of it in the same movement. He remained silent.

I scurried with small steps to Buneary's room. I heard her scribbling with a pen. I opened the door silently - she did not look up.

"Buneary?" I said eventually. She looked up from her desk.

She frowned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked with concern.

"Wrong? Yes there is something wrong," I retorted. "Pikachirate gave me a letter - a letter _you _and_ Chansey_ wrote." She flinched. "And then he gave me this present - it was Chansey's idea, and I think you had something to do with it, too. Did you?" I accused her. I felt a small amount of tears fall down.

"I. . . Chansey and I had to rewrite the letter. The only thing that was in it- Maybe you should read it for yourself." She handed me the folded letter.

There was a big difference; this one had ink splatters, and was practically unreadable. "I can not read the words, so I get why you wrote it differently." My face fell. Now I knew what his handwriting was like. The rumours were not lying nor were they overreacting.

"I have written _here_ what probably is written on it," she said after a moment. She handed me a note.

_pichu, u are my lofe  
>rigt and wroung for me<em>

_the pikachirate and the eppe(  
>b)ak and golt<em>

_u and me_

_- Pikachirate_

It did not make sense. "Buneary? I have no idea what he actually wrote." It did not make _any_ sense. What is a 'lofe'? And what about 'u'?

"He wrote 'Pichu, you are my love. Right and wrong you are for me," she quoted. "The Pikachirate and the apple. As black and gold," was the next thing she said. "You and me.' Signed by Pikachirate." That was what he had written for me. I felt horrible for acting the way I did. My slightly unjustified anger was sipping away.

I would have to find a way to make it up to him. I knew nothing that would be good enough.

***Author Note - As you probably know already, I (Gray, the one who writes most AN) love habits. Always an Author Note at the start, always and Author Note at the end. And the Disclaimer, I'm just too much used to a regular pattern. So please, take over my habit of reviewing after each chapter! Even if you don't have much to say about it, even negative response is more worthwhile than none. So, please leave a review? Or a PM? Every kind of communication is welcome!***


	20. Bridge

**Chapter Twenty: Bridge**

***Author Note – Thank you for reviewing, CallinConnor and 'A Fan'. To tell the truth, I ran down the stairs and was practically screaming like a fangirl to tell my sister we got TWO reviews on one chapter. It was a highlight, so thanks for reviewing. And we know it took nineteen chapters for Pikachirate to even tell Pichu how he felt about her. Let's just say romance is NOT one of my strengths. ^_^ **

**Disclaimer: Neither Orange nor Gray owns Pokémon. We own this weird story, though.***

**Tatatataah! We give you Chapter Twenty: Bridge**

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><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point of View<em>**

I did not dare to go back to the Captain's room; I was too scared to see either an angry or a sad Pikachirate. It was pretty early in the morning - three o'clock - so I went back to the deck.

Buneary had to sleep, therefore I was alone, without a warming blanket. Before Buneary let me go, though, she gave me a long - not too long - almost ice-blue dress and forced me to change into it.

My white dress had turned gray over the last few weeks. I forgot about it - normally it is not _I_ that has to give it a thought, but the maids.

I wanted to check if I really was alone on the deck. "Is anybody here?" I whispered. There was no response.

It was not that cold here, although I would not call it pleasant. My dress was warm enough for the night.

Why did Pikachirate write that note? And why, _why_ did Chansey force him to give me that necklace? I was slightly frustrated about Chansey's plan, and mad. Mad at all that was happening.

I could not commit myself to _anyone. _My father would track me down eventually - I was certain of that - when the pirates did not give me back. It would only be a matter of time. A short amount of time.

And I would lose all of my friends, and even Pikachirate. The solution a Princess would choose had to be 'no commitment'. Separate herself from the pirates, actually locking herself up.

No. I knew I would not be able to do that. I will not keep my distance from them, and I will not lock myself up. I will choose my own path, and not the one set out for a Princess. Or, to say it in another way, a beating heart is better than a frozen heart without emotions.

I should take a small step closer to him, as he got closer to me - probably pushed by Chansey, but still. It would be a sign I will not move away from him.

But how?

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><p><strong><em>Pikachirate's Point of View<em>**

"Captain, can we stop at the next bay?" Buneary asked. It was unusual for her to ask; she took care of these things most of the time without my consent.

"Why do we need to stop there?" I couldn't think of a reason to stop there. Why couldn't we just go to the Mountain of Ice? "We still have enough supplies to reach the Mountain of Ice." We bought a lot last time. And Mew had transported some items that were lost during the attack.

"But we need to get some clothes, Captain." She said like it was important, and gave me a puzzling look. I didn't get why we need to get to shore to go shopping. It sounded girly. Pirates aren't girly.

"We don't have time to go shopping, Buneary." Why would Buneary want to go shopping _anyway_? It isn't like Buneary to go shopping. Or even wanting it this much.

She kept going, she must want it very much. "But if we don't get warm coats, we will freeze to death when we arrive at you want that?" Freeze to death… That didn't sound good.

"Oh…" I didn't realize before that she was talking about getting warm coats for the weather. I felt stupid for not realizing. We needed stop at shore to get them. "Well, just stop at the nearest bay," I said sternly and then walked away quickly.

I was making a lot of this kind of mistakes lately. My thoughts were just cloudy. I just kept thinking about Pichu. I tried to let her know how I felt, but kept ruining all my chances. I wanted to make it up to her, but I couldn't find her. I probably wouldn't know what to say, too, so it was a good thing she was no where to be found.

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><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point Of View<em>**

I was standing in Mew's room. I was on one of the many pillows in the room.

I was trying to find _the_ peace offer for Pikachu. And I believe I found the right one, at least as an idea. I did not have the object yet.

But it looked like the mission would become a failure. There were just too many objects in the room. I was wading trough the toys - small balls, puppets, shiny objects - to get to the other end of the room.

I was trying to reach a pile of pillows in the very corner. I hoped that Pikachu's pillow was there. I would not know what I would do if his pillow was not in the pile. My whole idea about the peace offer would fall apart like a house of cards. I just made one fall down seconds ago.

I stood on a toy that was making a sound. It was a horrible and a terrifying sound, because Mew could hear it and would want to play with me. I quickly went on with the unwanted travel.

I finally made it to the pile. I started searching. A green pillow, a yellow pillow, a red one, another green one. Looks like his pillow was not here. I looked around, as if it would appear out of nowhere.

Where _is_ that pillow? I continued looking around. Maybe in the closet? No, it would not be there. Where would I hide a pillow if I were Mew? I stared up and saw Mew's bed.

I saw a familiar pillow in the bed. It was Pikachirate's. I found his pillow, and jumped in joy for a second. Then realization came. How do I get there? Mew could simply fly towards the bed. I would have to stash some of the pillows and jump to get to Mew's bed. Climbing into this bed was more difficult than climbing into a tree.

It was worth a try.

I moved the pile of pillows under the bed and climbed on top of it. It was an unstable climb, but I reached the top nonetheless. I grabbed the pillow in the same movement of my jump.

The pillow felt really heavy, and I landed a bit more abrupt than I thought on the bed - still with elegancy of course.

Pillows are supposed to be light! What did Pikachirate _do_ with his pillow? I looked closely at the pillow. I noticed that there were objects in the pillow - the surface was uneven.

I started to empty the pillow. There were several shiny forks and spoons in it, a small diamond, some other jewels I did not recognize at the moment and a Pikachu plush.

The plush was adorable. It was holding a tiny sword and it even had an eye patch. I should ask Mew if she could get me one, too. I think Mew either respects Pikachu, or wants to torture him with this voodoo doll. I hope it is the first option.

But the pillow is normal - and found - now, so I need to get going. I jumped into the pile of pillows, and from there I made one jump to the door. I made my way to the deck.

Now I only need to find Pikachirate and give him his pillow. I saw him talking to Blastoise; who else would he talk to? I walked to them, and took some deep breaths.

It did not help that much. "I saved your pillow," I blurted towards Pikachirate. He directed his attention toward me.

"You _saved_ my pillow?" He tried to understand my words. With obviously no success, yet.

"You saved his _pillow_?" Blastoise asked confused. It looked like this would become a vicious circle.

"What do you mean you saved my pillow?" He kept his distance from me. I suddenly realized that it sounded strange, but it was the truth. A strange, not-possible-to-understand truth.

"Well," I kicked off, "Mew had your pillow, and she was treating it badly…" I continued rattling. "And I needed to save it, and I had to go trough the forest of toys and there were a lot of pillows. Maybe Mew is a pillow collector? I just could not find yours and then I did and it was such a heavy pillow." I saw Pikachu and Blastoise staring at me and decided not to continue my story. This was enough craziness for the day.

I took a gulp of air. "Here is your pillow." I handed him his pillow. I saw Pikachu staring at his pillow now. He opened and closed his mouth a few times

"Thanks… I think," he said. Blastoise stared at the pillow, too. They were both staring at a pillow that was kidnapped by the infamous Mew.

I quickly walked away from the strange scene. I needed to talk to Buneary. I needed to talk with her about this awkward situation. I hoped she knew what to do about this situation between him and me, it just had to be fixed.

I found her talking to Sneasel.

"Buneary, may I speak with you?" I asked her. She got the hint and she said her goodbyes to Sneasel. We walked to her room, a room that was one of the most comfortable ones here.

We seated ourselves on the clean bed. "Sure, what do you wanna talk about?" she asked. I needed to lose my worries, so I told her - in a voice that was not my own - my problems.

"Buneary I did something stupid." I was in a frenzy. Normally I would not say it like this, but it was an emergency.

"It isn't bad, is it?" she asked. She kept asking questions, and continued to interrupt me. I would have to get used to the rules in friendship; friends would not leave you alone when concerned, nor would they listen silently.

"No, I guess not." It was not like I set the ship on fire, but still. "I tried a make a peace offer to Pikachirate, but it... failed." It was hard to say, but I knew it had not worked out the way I wanted to. "I went on mission 'Save Pillow'," I added. Buneary giggled; at least she did not stare at me. "I know it sounds stupid" - Buneary nodded agreeing - "but he was complaining about his pillow being gone, and I knew Mew had it." Her look became more serious.

"So you went to get his pillow," Buneary said as casual as she could manage.

"Yes, I went into Mew's room to get it, it was hard to find," I continued. "And when I found his pillow, it was filled with objects, Mew was using it as a treasure chest. It was not possible to call it 'light' anymore." I wondered how Mew would react when she finds out her treasure chest is taken back.

"Well, sounds like Mew. But what is the problem if you found the pillow?" I could see that she did not get what the point was. She had a deep frown.

I sighed, took a few seconds of silence, and answered: "I went to Pikachirate and said 'I saved your pillow'. It was awfully awkward and Blastoise was there too. I made a fool out of myself in front of those two." It was a terrible mistake; I should have put the pillow back on his hammock.

"Well, Pikachirate has forgotten about it by tomorrow, I promise." Relief went through me. "I know this, because the sleepy Pirate has his pillow back and will sleep tonight." I felt better - it was calming to be around Buneary.

The problem was not solved yet, though. "But he remembers it tonight, does he not? I... I can not sleep in the same room tonight!" I lost my cool - it was not the best day for me. I need to think about Princess Lessons. That way, I am sure I can calm down.

"Sleepover," Buneary said. "That's how you make sure you don't sleep in the same room with him." I stayed silent, and stared.

"He came to get me while Esmeralda was supposed to protect me. He will not allow the sleepover," I retorted. I still did not know what the reason was for his arrival, but a sleepover on the ship? He would say it is nonsense, just like the party.

Buneary tilted her head to the side. "How about notes? You must know the one and the other about other Princesses and Princes don't you?" I knew some things about them that Buneary did not. It was a good excuse. "And, I believe the Captain would want a night alone, too. You're not the only one with feelings for the other."

I felt heat radiating off me. Buneary was probably right about the latter.

"I will help you with the notes," I evaded her probing.

This would take long, and long enough for me to compose myself.

***Author Note – Um, 'Bridge' stands for the gestures Pichu and Pikachirate made. They sort of established a 'bridge' between their two different places. Not that the bridge is very strong, but it exists! (I didn't know if you would get the meaning of it, so I explained it. I make some very far related connections with things.)**

**Oh! And please review. Please?**


	21. Winterland

**Chapter Twenty-One: Winterland**

***Author Note – We play Pokémon Ranch. Watch, actually. And we couldn't help but notice something similar to the story. The Main caretaker, Wasbeer, always - _always_ - has two Charizard flying around her. They look like bodyguards, don't you think? Just for the record, Charmander isn't written this way because of these Charizard. :P**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon. It's that simple.**

**Well, here is Chapter Twenty-One: Winterland**

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><p>Helping Buneary with the letters turned out to be more pleasant than I expected. At first I was telling Buneary about the codenames and what their meanings were. After my explanation we started analyzing some of the letters.<p>

We were looking at a copy of one of the letter 'The Indigo Gem' sent. I did not like her letters much. And the letters made me dislike the Princess. She was the Princess of the Cloudy Sky Mountain. The Princess was a Misdreavus and she disliked me, too, I think at least. But how would I know? I have never met her in person.

But then Buneary asked me a question, out of the blue that surprised me.

"Are all letters so strangely written?" She frowned. One look at her told me she had looked at those letters many times, already taken in every single detail in them.

The letters were normal to me, since I was used to them. But only now I realized it was not that normal. "The letters are edited. When we write, it has to be formal and peaceful, know what I mean?"

Buneary simply nodded and we kept on working. We went on till the late hours, and I was getting tired already. Buneary was still sifting through letter after letter.

I had now read practically at least _one_ letter from every Princess. All except of course one. It was no surprise to me, but I had to know if even these Pirates knew nothing about her.

"Buneary? Have you ever intercepted a letter from the Yellow Shooting Star? It is The Lightning Hills' Princess." She was a case apart; not that I know many details about her, but she was special.

Buneary frowned and got up without saying a word. She took a notebook from the shelves, and started turning pages. Eventually she snapped it shut and looked back to me.

"For all I know, there is no kingdom in The Lightning Hills. It's just a small country, and since we're not with that many, we couldn't afford to have someone there without a reason," she said. She was not happy with the unknowing.

"The Princess came falling down from the sky. She did not inherit the throne, it was just that she had these amazing skills even the strongest of Pokémon there could not match." Yes, as you are already aware of, Buneary is writing everything I say down.

I continued. "This lady was fairly young, and playful at that. She had not been disciplined as the rest of us Princesses had, and she could not be disciplined with her amazing power. I only realized it after some years, but the letters she wrote were teleported from there to my desk, and the other way," I voiced my thoughts.

Buneary changed the subject quite abruptly. "Well, it's late. Let's get some sleep."

I left it at that.

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><p>I had a bad night of sleep. When I woke, there were some black spots on my vision. I felt terrible and did not want to get up. I heard Buneary was still sleeping, and knew that if I did not want to disrupt her, I should leave the room. Her ears hear everything.<p>

So I sneaked out of the room, as usual. It already became a habit.

I felt the cold immediately, and breathed it in with some gratitude. The cold meant winter, although I was not sure if the cold had the same meaning at sea. I looked up only to see the sky filled with dark clouds.

I started to have the chills and had to sneeze. I ran back inside and headed toward the place known to me as Amy's and William's room. Of course, they were still asleep. I was silently panicking about nothing at all, untill I heard a voice.

"Pichu?" Buneary whispered. "Why are you always walking from here to there in the morning?" She shook her head. "Let's go back to my room, there is plenty of time later to walk outside." She was completely calm, and I followed.

"Wait, where are we going now, Buneary?" She had said there would be plenty of time later. She did not mean walking on the ship, that was obvious.

We entered her room. "We're going to a village close to the coast. We need some warm clothes, remember?" she said. I already forgot about it, but it is true. We were headed to the Mountain of Ice.

"I brought an apple for you, to keep you from starving on this ship," Buneary grinned. I took it and started to nibble. It was the time of the day were I could put away my thoughts, and just eat.

I looked through the small window in Buneary's room. I saw we were already nearing the coast. "Does this mean I do not have to stay on the ship?"

Buneary did not even look up. "Of course you don't have to stay on the ship. One, you would escape from Mew in no time at all without having any supervisors. Two, the Captain obviously trusts you more than before," she explained in a normal voice.

"Is there anything else that needs to be done before I can go with you?" I mean, I am still the Princess. Pokémon might recognize me.

"Wear this hat," Buneary said while handing me a straw hat," and you're ready to go." Luckily for me, the hat fit.

Buneary had to go after some minutes, since she was the only one able to wake up the Crew properly. After half an hour, we were ready to go and do some shopping.

I was walking next to William, and made some small talk with him and Amy on William's other side. The Crew was not hesitating in the direction they were headed to; this must be known terrain to them.

The shopping went pretty quick, I did not even see the whole Crew and Pikachirate. We each bought a long coat and some isolating clothes; I only recognized some dresses and the familiar gloves.

The whole 'trip' was over pretty soon. We went back in no time at all.

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><p>The past few days are not worth telling about; Buneary's room became <em>my<em> room and I do not know how, but I rarely saw Pikachirate despite the size of the ship. He was good at being evasive. And of course, the temperature went down since we moved away from the warm sun.

Sneasel had said: "We only have to travel one day, and then we will arrive at the Mountain of Ice."

And now I was laying on my bed, staring at the boring ceiling, waiting for those twenty-four hours to be over. It had been a while since I ran through the snow, or dashed through it, or even _walked_ through it.

I was completely worn out of the past few weeks, I really needed a better day pattern. I just could not sleep that well on sea.

I could not help but wonder what my life would have looked like if I had to be married off to Prince Elekid. The landscape there was flat, no trees surrounded the palace. It was only . . . a prison without a view, from what I have heard.

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><p>And finally, after the long wait, we were in Winter Wonderland. The snow was already falling when I went to the deck and was grateful for the warm coat I wore. I saw Spheal and Sealeo, Seel and Dewgong swimming in the almost-frozen sea. And, as the sun went down, I saw a Mantine and Remoraid jump out of the water, making it look like swimming was easy.<p>

I looked up, seeing the same dark clouds again. They were not present on the edge - where the sun was - but have been up there since some days.

The snow fell on my gray gloves, making the cold seep through it. Of course I was on the side where most of the snow fell; I turned around and saw what our destination was. I wondered why I had not seen it already, since I should not even miss a mountain. Not only was there a mountain. I could, even from here, see a forest next to the mountain. There was a village on the foot of the mountain and on the left side of the mountain, on the edge of the forest, stood a snowy-white palace. On the other side stood a Cathedral and I noticed the two sides were parted by a river, which could be crossed by one of the many bridges there.

I cleaned my long black coat since I knew nothing else to do.

We arrived after some time, but the ship was not left outside and sailed to somewhere indoor. I did not bother to ask anyone about it, as I would forget it the minute after it.

"All, get off of the ship!" Pikachirate announced. He did not say 'Lightning Shadow', as that would give them away. Buneary tugged on my sleeve as a sign for me to follow her.

We scattered in small groups, going each to a different place. "Buneary? Where are we going?" I questioned.

"To Roselia's," she answered while quickening her pace. I sped up, too.

After walking some yards, we entered a house called an 'inn'. I had no idea what an inn was.

The moment I passed through the door, I saw the Pokémon I had heard a lot about from Sneasel, the one that had changed his heart. She was walking with grace while holding two trays on her roses. She gave us both a warm smile.

We sat down, and Buneary simply waited. I glanced around the room every now and then, and could not help but notice some unknown Pokémon to me were staring at me with a puzzled look. They looked down when I met their gaze.

Two by two, the Crew entered the inn. The last two to arrive were Chansey and Pikachirate. Everyone was still scattered across the room. Only when the last non-Crew Pokémon left the inn, everyone went to the big, oval shaped table in the centre of the room.

Pikachirate started talking in a . . . well, wonderful voice. "As most of you already know, we're going to stay here for around a week, and continue our route after we decide where to go to." Most heads around me were nodding. "we're making this the centre of information." There is no need for you all to stay in the inn the whole week, so you can enjoy of some free time.

"Guys? You could stay here, there is more than enough room for all of you," Roselia offered. "If you share a room with three or four there will be more than enough space."

So groups of around four were made; The Squirtle family stayed together, of course. Sneasel went with Roselia, the two of them after long separation. Mew, Esmeralda and Ditto shared a room. No fourth wanted to join them. Buneary, Chansey and Happiny took me as fourth Pokémon. Chatot, Gengar and Pikachirate were the last group.

Roselia showed me the room I would be staying at. I did not take a look around me. I was the first to go up, and went to sleep the minute I lay on the bed.

***Author Note - Yay! They're in a snowy area! And since I didn't know a better name for the chapter. If you have any suggestions, a feeling, or a direction for the name of it, set it in the review, or send a PM. Please? No single review will bother us . . . And PMs are ways of communication.***


	22. Light

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Light**

***Author Note – Hey guys! I want snow for inspiration, but that's not going to happen. It's sunny. And Orange is too busy to even get inspiration. :(**

**Disclaimer: We The writers of this story do not own Pokémon. This is purely fictional.**

**We give you this Chapter - wait, I say that a lot. Chapter Twenty-Two: Light**

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><p><em><strong>Pikachirate's Point of View<strong>_

I had to come up with a plan. A plan that would stun the Princess completely. I couldn't just give her a rose. It would look like nothing to a Princess. And I had to seize this chance in this wonderful Winterland filled with perfectly white snow.

I had evaded her for some time now, trying to find the most romantic, uncliché thing there was; no solutions had arisen yet.

But surely, there would be something in this place? There were icy churches, which could be climbed with the stairs. The view would be unforgettable for her, who had been in the castle for most of the time in that climate.

"Captain? Shouldn't it be time for you to head upstairs, too?" Buneary asked, interrupting my not-so-well thought out plan.

"I'll be going up in a minute," I answered. She was very eager in sending everyone to the dorms. Roselia already went to bed together with Sneasel, and put Buneary in charge.

Buneary crossed her arms. "You said that _half an hour_ ago. I think you should just go now, if you want to be able to get up in the morning," Buneary warned. "Go upstairs. Now. Before I make you."

Buneary was able to guess my train of thought. It must be that obvious. "Fine!" I conceded while holding my hands up in the air. "I will go upstairs."

Buneary heaved a sigh of relief.

So we went to the separate rooms upstairs, and well, I fell asleep pretty soon.

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><p>The early sun broke through the window; someone had opened the curtains. It was unusually light, as there were no clouds. I squeezed my eyes shut, simply hoping I would fall back in my sleep.<p>

"Wake up, Captain. It's time for breakfast." It was Roselia who woke me up. She mustn't have realized what time I went to sleep.

"Grmlllll . . . ," I said.

"If you don't get up, you won't get any breakfast," she said in a serious tone.

"I'll be there," I answered while trying to wake up enough to get out of bed. Roselia left the room and I was alone again.

I got up and stared out of the window. I always disliked the cold, or the snow that would melt after it had frozen your ears off. No thank you, I rather stay here all day in the inn.

That would never work out well for my plan, would it? So, quite reluctant, I stumbled half-asleep down the stairs. Most only started eating now, but a few were already finished. To name one, Pichu was already done.

I went to sit next to Gengar, who was in a conversation with Chansey. They were in their umpteenth argument about something silly. This time it was the bread that lay on the table. Chansey wanted some margarine, while Gengar said it was good enough as it was now.

Ditto and Mew were playing who's that Pokémon. Ditto wouldn't transform into it for a change, so they both had no idea which Pokémon the other had in mind.

Well, I _think_ they were doing that. But sure I could never be.

And there, close to the fireplace, sat Esmeralda. It was one of the first times I saw her sad while the other two were unstoppable. I walked toward her and the warm fire.

"Esmeralda, is something wrong? You don't seem to like it here," I pondered. She looked at me with the saddest eyes in existence.

She stared back to the fire. "It's no fun here. There aren't any flowers, only trees with snow. And when I accidently hit one, the snow attacks me, as if I did something wrong," she confided me. "The snow is an alien that multiplied itself. It will take over the world!" she added.

"I dislike the cold, too. When you want to get to the other side of the street, it will take at least five minutes. There is no way we small Pokémon could move that fast through the snow," I said. She obviously felt left out. Everyone else was enjoying the snow and had no eye for vulnerable Esmeralda.

"Only the Pokémon who are known to the snow are allowed to move through it; since I know what it _really_ is, it tries to stop me. And the others don't see me struggle, don't see me here. And the snow has hypnotized everyone, even the Princess is looking at it as if it is magical," she added bitterly. "And the most terrible thing is now I can't go see the awesome Xatu and his performance."

She was really down; I wasn't used to her being like this. I had to cheer her up. "I'm sure the rest wouldn't mind helping you out - just ask. They will help you without hesitation," I assured her. She smiled a little angle smile. "What's the deal with this Xatu, by the way?"

She spoke with eagerness now. "He is the one to predict the _future_! And I want him to predict mine - well, not predict, see - so I get to know what my future is like!"

A stupid idea came to my mind. I would take Esmeralda to Xatu - wherever that may be - but it wouldn't only be the two of us. I would ask a certain green-eyed Pokémon to accompany us . . . No, Esmeralda should ask it to her. With her red Lillipup eyes and cheerful voice, who could say no to that? And Pichu wouldn't even notice until it was too late that I was there, too. Esmeralda would be the buffer, of course.

I was a bit of a Dunsparce in that way. _*Dunsparce is Coward here._

"Okay, Esmeralda, we'll go to Xatu. When do you want to go?" I asked casually. I hoped she would say 'Yesterday! A year ago! Yay!'.

Esmeralda was silent for a bit. "In three days! It will be Full Moon then!" Disappointment struck me; but I knew I would have to do something sooner.

"What do you want to do now, if you aren't willing to see Xatu today?"

"Well, since it's very, very, _very _deserted over here, I guess I will fly on the beds today . . . ," she said, wondering.

Wait, everyone was gone? I looked around me, only to see Gengar and Chansey.

"Where is everyone?" I demanded; Esmeralda probably didn't find me demanding.

"I was the first one to wake up this morning, and went to here at the fireplace. Half an hour later the Princess came down the stairs. We made some small talk – it was still pitch black outside – and I felt great. She really listened to me, just like you did the very same day," she said while smiling. "After that she went to get something to eat. She was really disappointed when there were no apples, so she reluctantly took some bread. Pichu went outside after breakfast, though, and I quote, '_I will go outside now, walking through this wonderful, white coldness_'.

"Soon after she was gone, Roselia and Sneasel came by to visit me," she continued. "They offered me some bread and milk, and the Squirtle family were down next!"

Maybe Esmeralda wanted to give me an as detailed as possible way to tell me who came after who; still, I was surprised she remembered it at all.

"They left pretty quickly, because they wanted to swim somewhere nearby and it would be best for the cold morning dive," she rushed out. "Um, then the others came down, with you ending the queue. They all left after breakfast, probably wandering around in the evil snow."

As I wasn't that big fan of snow, I had to choose: stay here, or going after the Princess - I was always moving _to_ the Princess or _away_ from her these days.

Of course I stood outside in mere seconds. It was freezing, I was sneezing already and forgot to put on winter clothes.

Sure, wonderful, white coldness.

I wasn't used to these extreme kinds of weather; but as a Pirate - a Captain at that - I would survive.

The whole village made me think about Christmas, and New Year's Eve. I could still see the footprints the Squirtle family left, although there was no trace of Pichu's. She left and early, and fast. I better turn around.

As if it were impossible coincidence, there she stood. Right in the middle of the frozen circle - the center of the snowflake shaped plaza.

The moment I laid my eyes on her, I was not cold anymore. I had the feeling my whole body was burning up the cold around me. I started to her, across the long distance that held us apart.

She turned, with a slightly bewildered look. I guess she didn't expect me to cross paths with her this soon.

Meh, it was a surprise for me, too.

I finally reached her after those days of avoiding. And she was looking at her feet, not meeting my gaze.

Music started to play at that moment. It was the song Buneary played during that party. Her head snapped up to the source of it, just like mine did. It was no surprise to me it was Buneary playing and Happiny ready to sing.

Esmeralda was one sneaky girl for not mentioning them. All planned of course.

"Would you mind dancing with me on this song?" Pichu asked, seizing this opportunity Buneary handed her.

"Sure, why wouldn't I?" I answered completely at ease. We didn't particularly glide through the snow, but it went easier than the first time.

Shouldn't have thought that. The wind picked up, blinding us at the end of the song and, well, we fell. In the stupid snow.

It was as if those last few days never were in existence. We were laughing at our stupidity of falling and the mistakes were gone.

"You want to walk around the village?" I suggested. I had never taken the time to look around for everything.

"Yes I would like that," she answered in the same manner as always.

We pushed ourselves through the snow, through the frozen water and found a market. It was outside, like the temperature was high enough for it.

"Wow," Pichu breathed when she noticed it. She skipped toward it, leaving me fighting to follow.

When I caught up with her, her arms were filled with stuff she bought.

"Where did you get the money from to buy all those things?" I accused her. What if she stole my money?

"Why do I have to tell you? I had it before the kidnapping already, for your information." Of course. The rich Princess.

We turned around soon; we had to be back in time for dinner at Roselia's and a short meeting.

I couldn't quite remember what everyone was saying, or what happened all at Roselia's. But I remember nothing in particular - I was sleepy, I had every right to be bad at remembering.

I turned in soon today - sleepy - just like Pichu. I had a plan for something romantic tomorrow.

***Author Note - Alright, inspiration didn't struck us, but last night I was writing and suddenly I thought about dancing. I'm unable to decide if it fits there, or to think about the probability of it, so please? I can't do this alone, and since Orange has even less inspiration than I have . . .**

**I do know something for the next chapter, a part of it is already written, but it's nowhere near completion. And I have to ask, have I stupidly written a Mary Sue somewhere in this story? Because, again, I'm blinded by the story to see the truth most of the time. Please review, or send a PM if you prefer that, or something alike! Ciao!***


	23. The Cathedral

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The Cathedral**

***Author Note - Hey. We would like to give our big thanks to CallinConnor. It truly helps us. **

**On a side note: School is taking a lot out of me and my sister, so prepare for irregular updates. It won't be any faster than Wednesday's, it only slows us down by a lot. Really a lot. We try to write, but there is almost no time for it.**

**Enjoy reading Chapter Twenty-Three: The Cathedral**

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><p><strong><em>Pichu's Point of View<em>**

The sun was not even up, or I was already awake. I slept terrible here, I probably got used to sleeping on a ship. I went down stairs, just like yesterday. I was longing for apples, longing for anything that would taste better than some dry bread. I knew I would end up eating the dry bread, as I could not find anything else yesterday, too.

I was just drinking some ice water, when Esmeralda stormed – soundlessly – down the stairs.

My mind was not really in the right place; it was like I was staring on a scene without being _there_. It passed really quick when Pikachirate came down. Well, it says much, as it was ten o'clock.

I wanted to sleep that long. But him coming down did the trick; just to be sure, I splashed some water in my face and waited for my face to become dry. It would not be romantic when I was teeth tattering on a romantic spot.

I left the cosy, safe bathroom, and went to meet Pikachirate. I evaded the mistletoe hanging above him, just because I was almost hyperventilating for no reason at all!

"Ready to go?" he asked in a soft voice. I nodded, not yet able to find my voice at this point. I thought yesterday had been pretty scary, but this day would top that one. I had no experience with love, or other romantic subjects.

Luckily for me, the snow was able to calm me down a lot. Still, I remained silence for a short while.

Pikachirate led me through the town I got to know by a little swiftly. The snow was still falling in a slow pace. The roofs of the small houses were magical with the white pureness, and I kept staring around me in amazement, taking its place next to calmness.

There were some Pokémon walking through the magical village, but most of them paid no attention to us. Still, there were a few who would give me weird glances, as if I were screaming for their attention. I put it in the back of my mind.

I saw we were moving in the direction of the Cathedral, which was in good shape. It had two high towers, and even from down here I could see it was possible to go pretty high as a visitor. It did not look dangerous with all the snow and ice; it was a part of the magical building.

"We're at the place," he mumbled when we stood before the Cathedral. "Well, almost. We still have to climb the stairs."

I skipped to the door. "We better hurry up, then, should we not?" He followed quickly.

It was not hard to ignore the cold. Everything around us was cut out of stone and coloured glass and it was always winter. I did not even entertain the thought of this place being warm, so I headed without hesitation toward the staircase where ice lay upon the steps.

"Careful, you might slip," Pikachirate warned when I was walking with a pace. He thought I would slip? I had more experience with dangerous icy places than he had, of that I was sure.

"No need to worry, there is a banister here," I stated politely. I turned around to see if he would follow. The staircase was round and I noticed windows on our left side.

"As long as you're not too hasty, alright? Take the time to enjoy the view." As if on cue, I looked through the window on the left. It was clear as glass, and the village was admiring exquisite. It was the first time I felt like I was in my tree, looking through the small window with my mother to admire the falling snow and the white trees.

We walked next to each other in silence as we moved from step to step. It was freezing, but the gloves Buneary picked for me were just warm enough to reject the cold, but not that the rest of my body would be jealous of the warmth.

Once and again there would be a place where we could rest from the climb, but I needed no such thing. Neither did Pikachirate. I realized only on what could have been the fifth hundred step that this was one of the few times I moved up the stairs without any assistance of holding hands.

"Say, how many steps _are_ there in this Cathedral? It seemed pretty high from down there . . . ," I wondered.

He grinned. "It's the tallest building in the world, so I guess it looked high. There are seven hundred and ninety-eight steps. I don't even think we're halfway, yet." I was not even slowing. I probably did not have as much endurance as I expected to have.

"Could we stop for a moment? It takes up more energy than I anticipated," I gasped. It took some time, but my breaths eased and we were ready to continue.

After we headed farther up, I noticed something. We were on a flat ground, no stepping stones anymore.

"Have we reached the top?" I asked. Time must have flown by, it did not seem to take as long as I thought it would.

"Nope, I think we're halfway there now. We can look at the scenery if we walk to over there," he pointed out. I walked to wards the window. The view was simply amazing. We were only halfway, but it seemed pretty high already. I saw Pokémon walking through the blizzard, but one Pokémon caught my eye, right in the middle. It was a Xatu and he was surrounded by other Pokémon. I looked closer, and noticed a young Natu on his head.

Pikachirate moved also closer to the window, making him stand right behind me. I could feel his warm breath in next to my left ear.

"I wonder what all those Pokémon are doing on the square." I pointed at the masse of Pokémon surround Xatu.

Pikachirate stared at the place I pointed out. "I think it is the miracle Xatu," he said. "I think Esmeralda was talking about this morning," he explained. "Something about predicting the future."

There was a silence, but then he continued. "We could go see it the day after tomorrow if you want," He suggested uncertainly. I had been avoiding him lately and this was the perfect opportunity to stop doing that. I turned to face Pikachirate.

"Yes, that would be lovely." I gazed into his hazel brown eyes. They were looking back to me intensely. It became dark for a moment when a gray cloud jumped in front of the sun.

We were standing very close to each other. I could not go anywhere because Pikachirate's hands were on my shoulders. Heat was spreading from where his hand were. If I listened closely I could even hear Pikachirate's heart beating. I was uncertain what to do, frozen for an instant. It was like the world stopped that moment. We were just standing there, but it was the most adoring moment I ever experienced – the short minute before the . . . the kiss, which is the ideal moment of anticipation, and sometimes the most romantic or stunning action in the relationship. Not the kiss, but the few seconds before it that prolong the perfect moment

I was trying to figure what to do next when Pikachirate spoke again.

"We should get going if we want to reach the top," he murmured. He too was not sure of what to do. He removed his hands and looked away. A shiver went down my spine from the sudden cold. I wished I had taken some actions while the moment was right. Now the tension started to build up again. Although the Torchic in me was kind of glad for the extra time to prepare myself.

"Yes, we should." I looked one last time at the crowd on the square. It felt like Xatu was looking at me, but it must be my imagination. Xatu was too far away to be looking at me.

The last few stairs – more than a few – were easily conquered, and we soon made it to the top. Here, in the cold fresh air, I felt like the little girl I never got to be. It was a gift from him to me.

We could have stood there for hours, I am not sure, but we had to go back way to quick. Even though _I_ did not slip, Pikachirate did a few times, and I could not help but smile at that.

Back in my room – alone – I gave more thought to the almost-kissing. It has happened twice already, and I should be prepared for the third time. I said to myself, third time is a charm. Next time, I _will_ lean in, or take the initiative.

Because, I am in love with the not-so-real-Pirate who kidnapped me.

Tomorrow, I decided. I should not let him wait any longer than that. I had to wonder; did those books I read really tell the truth about a love story, or was it this hard for them as well?

***Author Note - Well, that was it for this Chapter! If you caught any mistakes, please tell us.***


	24. The Surrender

**Chapter Twenty-Four: The Surrender**

***Author Note – We are still alive. It took us some time to write this Chapter, because we did not have the inspiration and the time to write it. Some apologies for that. If it's not too much to ask, please review. There is not that much input from Orange, so it's all written by Gray. And well, I got no kissing experience. So It might be failing to you, but the only way it's going to get better, is for you *points at _you_* to say what you thought about the chapter. And beware, I got ninja-skills, so I _know_ when someone is reading our story. So, take your time to review. And if we're not begging in the right way, write the right way in your review.**

**Enough about reviewing. You have waited waaay too long for this chapter. So on with the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: We do _not_ own Pokémon.**

**Here. Is. Chapter Twenty-Four! It is: The Surrender**

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><p><em><strong>Pichu's Point of View<strong>_

I was pacing – I was making rounds around the table – unable to come up with a perfect occasion for the first kiss. There was no special place that I could think of in this rather big village with any meaning. Kissing underneath the mistletoe is not exactly that great, either. It would not be 'willing' to. It would become forced.

We would go to Xatu tomorrow, but that was tomorrow. And I had other things on my mind, specifically those Pokémon that keep watching me crazy-eyed, as if I am an idiot for skipping around in the snow. I could not find a better explanation for those looks, but there had to be.

I did not know what else there was here. What _part_ of the North are we? The North has a lot of area here. There are mountains and forests for as far as I know. Asking him to go for just a 'random' walk outside is not going to work.

"Nothing is going to work," I muttered. Do I keep too high standards?

There was no answer to my question. Thank Arceus.

I looked outside and noticed the beautiful violet curtains, surrounding the window I looked through many times already. Strange, I had not noticed them before. The colour triggered something in my mind.

I had yet another thing to think about. It was that long put away dream in a cave, with that out of the ordinary stone. I had dreamless nights most of the time, but this one I remembered and it had felt urgent. From what I have read and heard, red stands for anger while the violet colour is an indicator for peace.

Well, I could not make any connection with _anything_ at the moment. Too stressed for that.

Something fancy will not do. Outside might be the only solution for the moment with Pikachirate.

I really am stressing about a kiss? Yes.

Seconds were ticking away, but only in the afternoon did Pikachirate come downstairs. He had discussed a few things with Blastoise, his second in command - no idea what kind of things. It definitely had taken up a lot of time.

They did not notice me, or did not want to notice me, as they were not looking at me. I was a bit tired of waiting, so I went outside. I should better look for a nice place outside, with that magical feeling. A place filled with a crowd would not do. Neither would a shop or someplace near.

I walked away from civilization. It started to snow heavily, erasing my prints left in the snow. I walked for a time period, but finally found the place. It was a pale white tree with beautiful needles. The needles were covered with the falling snow, making it look like the tree of winter. I took the time to remember the place, otherwise I would not be able to find it back.

I returned to the inn, but Pikachirate was not here anymore, to my disappointment. I only saw Roselia and Esmeralda, the two Grass-Pokémon.

"Snow isn't that bad for us Grass-Pokémon," I heard Roselia say. Esmeralda had probably told Roselia her alien theory. "The snow is frozen water, did you know that? You won't say the water is alien, will you?"

"Water isn't snow. The snow is water that got taken over, why doesn't anybody understand that?" she pouted.

"I can see where you're getting from," Roselia assured her. "But let's talk about something else, alright? We got a third one to our party." She smiled at me.

I did not really know what to talk about. But with all my thinking about the perfect moment, I came up with something I wanted to hear. "Roselia, where did you and Sneasel meet each other?"

"Don't you know it already, then?" Roselia asked.

"Sneasel did tell me the story, but he did not tell me a lot of details." I was curious, because they probably met each other somewhere here, with another romantic story, and Roselia was a better story teller than Sneasel, the silent wheel-stirrer. At least, I think.

Esmeralda looked interested, too. We both looked at Roselia with hopeful eyes, and finally . . . "Alright, alright, I'll tell you the story," Roselia conceded, holding her roses up in the air.

"I still hadn't gotten the job I have now - I was still building trust so I could live an easy life here. I worked in the Cathedral at the very top, and snow didn't fall every day. I got experience in the job, and knew when snow would fall"-she couldn't help but smile-"and when not. I was looking outside out of boredom and noted to myself it would become a cloudless day. We worked with two on the very top, and I went to town 'cause after all, I had stayed in the top too many times while Lopunny had some emergencies she had to go to. Building trust, it's important." Roselia stared at us until we both nodded.

"Lopunny had no problem with me leaving, since I had saved her many times with staying, so I walked a routine, glad it was a clear day. I bought some paper - we were almost out of it in the top - and a pencil. Pens don't work that good in the cold. I was just walking around for the walking, when the weather changed way too fast. A strong wind arose, and clouds filled the sky above our village. Before I knew it, big flocks came down rapidly. It was tough as a Grass-Pokémon in the beginning, but the cold couldn't hurt me as much as before. I made my way to the Cathedral, but had to stop in my tracks."

Esmeralda was so much into the story that she had to ask why. "Why did you have to stop?" Esmeralda had probably never read a love story. There always was a time where the two had a moment of 'I don't know you, but I'm curious'.

"There was a stranger on a bench, Esmeralda. It was unusual in that time for Pokémon to travel to other countries. It was - and still is - a time of war," she explained. "The trouble about it has reduced, but we're in a different world now."

"Stranger?" Esmeralda's voice broke. "What happened to Sneasel?" I knew at that point I should buy some books for her, maybe read a few to her. Enlargening her world.

"Just wait for it, sweetie, Sneasel still has to come. I wanted to find out if the stranger's intentions were good. I had to walk close by him, as the snow was blinding me. I was casting stealthy glances, but only saw him looking down. He was turning into a snowman, and wasn't even fighting it. I was probably slowing down, and he noticed it. He met my eyes with emotion I had met too many times. Sadness, pain, rejection. I couldn't look away from the _Sneasel_," Roselia emphazed. "I must have changed direction after some standing still, since I sat down next to him some time later. He was hesitant, not used to others, while I just rattled on and on." Roselia stopped.

Esmeralda sat perfectly still, hooked up on the real-life love-story. I was the one to ask this time. "What happened next?" I did not know I was just as hooked on as Esmeralda.

"I was warm from the inside. When he looked at me, I felt like something had hit me on the head without feeling the pain. I had a crush - or I was in love - with the silent stranger. I just had to meet the Pokémon in the inside, and it was worth sitting next to in the cold. He was looking in front of him when I was blabbering and smiling the whole time. It took a long time, but he eventually dared to look me in the eyes again, and the snow stopped falling down seconds later. Time had flown, and I had to return to the Cathedral. I conjured a rose as only a Roselia can, and scribbled a hasty note. I gave the rose with the note to him, and hurried back to the Cathedral.

I returned day after day and met the real Sneasel. And he met the real me. I asked him if he wanted to become a part of our . . . organization, and he agreed. Even if it brought him further apart from me," she concluded.

"Wow, am I going to have such a special love moment, too? Like _magic_?" Esmeralda was jumping.

"You probably will, someday," Roselia assured Esmeralda.

Roselia looked at the time. "It's five thirty in the evening. Time flew again," she noted. "I should start with dinner."

Panic-attack. If I could just avoid Pikachirate for a short while longer, I would be able to find the perfect moment, the moment of _magic_.

"I lost my gloves somewhere, I have to find them! See you two later!" I stumbled out of the door, a bit minding it was not elegant.

I knew my gloves were still in the room. There just was not any other valid excuse to leave the room. So I lost my gloves.

It was already dark outside. The few lampposts made the snow glow. I headed toward nothing, well, at first, then. I eventually got tired of the light from the lampposts, and went to the tree. I became scared when it took longer than expected, but the tree got within my sight some time later.

It was freezing, I was a bit cold, but there was nothing wrong with it. I stood there for a while. I did not even jump when my name was called out of nowhere.

"Pichu," he said casually. "It's a beautiful evening, isn't it?" I was barely breathing, the nerves were almost taking me over.

Almost, but not quite. "You say that a lot, are you aware of that?" I answered with a smile. We were one metre apart. I took a step forward.

"Well"-he smirked-"the evening is _always_ beautiful. As are you." He looked at me. I stared back. There was a slight glow on his face, coming from the stars with an odd colour.

He got closer with a determent look on his face. We were only inches apart now. Now was the moment to take action.

My cold hand moved almost automatically to his chest - I got lucky, he wore a coat. He was a little startled by my nearness, I guess, but managed to compose himself. His hands found my shoulders, he held them gently, it was in a way I had never felt before.

I could not see the snow falling.

I could not see the odd light above us.

I could only see him at this moment.

I leaned in, not knowing what to expect from the kiss. His lips touched mine after hesitation. I closed my eyes, well, they did that in the few books I read with 'Romance'.

Our lips moved against each other, slowly - it must be his first kiss, too, I thought a bit pleased.

He was not forcing himself on me, there was no tongue pushing obediently on my lips to grant it access.

His hands headed to my thighs, barely touching my dress. My hands reached his neck. I clung onto him, still careful, though. I did not want to push my luck with this unknown. My head went to the side, my ears relaxed.

It would end soon enough. I needed air, only I could not get it while multi-tasking. The moment my lips left his, I gasped for breath. As did he.

I could feel his warm breath after our reluctant kiss. We were both metaphorically frozen in place, until he caught my attention. He was looking up, and I finally saw what those odd lights were. Aurora, the "Dance of Spirits". There were red and green auroras, dancing next to each other. The red one was a rare sight, not many Pokémon have had the chance to see it. This was my first time of seeing it, too.

"You don't get to see that very often." Pikachirate frowned.

I put my hands behind my back, giving him space. His hand slid to his sides.

"True that," I breathed. The Moon was full, although it was not erasing the light of the Auroras. It was peaceful. I took a look at the tree. The white needles were still as pure as earlier today.

"We should get back," Pikachirate said. He held out his hand.

And I took it.

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><p><em>The decision to kiss for the first time <em>  
><em>is the most crucial in any love story.<em>  
><em>It changes the relationship of two people<em>  
><em>much more strongly than even the final surrender; <em>  
><em>because this kiss already has within it that surrender."<em>  
><em>~ Emil Ludwig<em>

***Author Note - If you want a clear image of the Auroras, just search on Google or another search machine "Red and green auroras". It's worth it! (I have never seen one before . . .) And I hope I don't bore you with those Author Notes. Oh, and thought the quote from Emil Ludwig (thanks, Google) might fit with the Chapter. It also was the inspiration for the title. And we'll try to update sooner. So, sorry for the delay. And thanks for reading!***


	25. The Spectacle

**Chapter Twenty-Five: The Spectacle**

***Author Note - We would like to thank CallinConnor for reviewing. And a late thanks to Alex32413 for encouraging us with his PM. We appreciate it that you are liking the story. On a side note, we are in a humorous mode. Don't take everything literally.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Pokémon, because we are Pokémon! Muhaahahahahaaahaa . . . No, we're actually Squirrels. *Nibble nibble***

**Here is Chapter Twenty-Five: The Spectacle**

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><p><em><strong>Pichu's Point of View<strong>_

I was overwhelmed by emotions. It was like my place in the world changed within a matter of seconds. The cause was last night. We watched the Auroras quietly, while holding hands. We talked about a few things during the night, ranging from the absurd to the cold. Pikachirate was not a big fan of snow, I now knew, and he was sneezing every now and then.

We had to leave after some time; it was not smart to stay outside when it was freezing.

I was filled with energy when we were back at the inn, so I barely slept. The sun was already rising and I do not think I am going to sleep this day. I got up with a morning mood.

Esmeralda, Pikachirate and I were going to see Xatu today. Pokémon said that Xatu could read minds and see the future. Everyone in town wanted to hear what Xatu had to say, so I heard. It was bound to be a special occasion you should not miss.

While walking down I heard some sound. Roselia was making breakfast.

"Good morning, Roselia," I said cheerful, making my mood lighter. I was glad there was someone to simply sit and talk with. Being alone in the morning is not a good thing to start the day with.

"Oh, good morning, Pichu." She seemed bothered by something. I wondered what could bother her this early in the morning already.

"It is a wonderful day, is it not?" I asked. Maybe I was imagining things.

"Well, it is a wonderful day, but the night on the contrary . . ." She did not finish her sentence. I could feel something was wrong. My mood changed.

"What is wrong, Roselia?" I asked alarmed.

"It's the Auroras." She was hesitating for a second, thinking if she should tell me. But then she continued.

"It was the second Full Moon of the month October. It's a bad sign when a pair of a red and green Aurora occurs that night," she blurted out. "They tell us that disaster is coming." There was no doubt that Roselia was dead-serious.

But it must be some old belief to scare Pokémon, and Roselia believed it.

"What kind of disaster are you talking about, Roselia?" I wanted to know more about, there was no harm in knowing, right?

"I don't know, Pichu, just be careful." Roselia was staring at me without blinking.

"I will." I had to say it, as a promise. We were chatting happily about all kind of things after the Aurora lights topic.

We would leave this place behind soon, and it was like everyone knew it. This might be the last breakfast we would have here.

I took notice of Pikachirate. I waited until he had finished his breakfast when I suggested, "Pikachirate, we could walk around town a bit before we go see Xatu."

I hoped that the walk would be as nice as last night had been. We could just look at the snow for one last time. It would just look like a fairytale should be like. I wanted to stay here forever. It felt more like home than the palace did back then.

"Sure, that would be nice," he answered casually. "Just let me grab my coat." He went to get his coat and waited for Esmeralda to come run up to him.

The sun was shining bright and was reflecting on the snow, making it shine brighter than diamonds. Pikachirate was holding my hand. It did not make walking more difficult. There was another factor that did . . .

Esmeralda was sitting on his head. She had jumped on it when we left and would not let go - maybe afraid of the snow. Pikachirate did not really mind, so he let her stay there. I know we must look like an odd group, but that did not matter.

It felt good to walk around town a bit, although it seemed the villagers were a bit restless. Roselia had said that the Aurora light was predicting disaster and by the looks of it, the villagers were certain of it, too.

We headed to the square when it was almost noon. When the clock strikes twelve Xatu would be on the square and speak his vision to the public - he might see visions all day long, but he shared it rarely with the town. Once a week, or so I have heard.

There were already a lot of Pokémon gathered on the square. Probably the whole town. I heard some Pokémon talk to each other.

"I hope Xatu knows what disaster await us," a small Snover said.

"That way we know what to do when it happens." His partner nodded in agreement. It seemed like the whole crowd thought the same thing.

The clock tolled at twelve precisely and all eyes were on the foot of the clock tower. Xatu had appeared out of nowhere. There was a Natu on his head, just as Pikachirate had Esmeralda on his. He had a powerful aura around him, I could even feel it from down here. He was on the South part of the square, while we were on the edge of the West part.

One glance at Xatu was enough to tell that he really could see the future and read the minds of us insignificant Pokémon. I hoped he was not reading mine. The whole world would soon know that I was here, if it would be made public. My father would sent Pokémon - including that Salemence - to come get me. He already did, although they did not succeed in catching me.

My thoughts were interrupted by an uproar. Xatu had spread his wings in an instant, only to flap them back after 5 seconds. He was walking - almost gliding - toward the crowd. But the most disturbing thing was that he was heading to the West - our way. I could feel Pikachirate tense. It only confirmed my assumption. Esmeralda, on the other hand, seemed to like the fact the Xatu was heading our way.

Of course, the chance he would pick one of us was relatively small - unless he picked Pokémon who _did not_ want to be picked. The crowd went out of his way, leaving a path for Xatu. He was only fifteen feet away now.

"What should we do, he is heading our way," I whispered urgently to Pikachirate. I panicked, because soon we were going to be discovered. The situation did not look good. Pikachirate wanted to say something but had no time left to say it. Silence surrounded us, and I could not help but stare down at Xatu's feet, the colour red. It was not necessary to say his feet were clean, not a spot of snow on it.

"You have come from far, measured in distance and in social progress." He was here for me or us, no escape now. I could feel everyone was looking at us now. Esmeralda was looking at the Natu on his head. She was not aware of the possible danger in this situation.

"But you have not yet arrived at your destination." I did not like were this was going. Why was he talking about a destination? Are we meant to do something, or am I just over thinking it? I had never believed in _real_ fate, but Xatu must _know_ it exists. The whole town wanted to know about this 'disaster' of the Auroras from him.

"Your dreams will lead you to the place," Xatu said, as if only to us. What did he mean exactly? Was it that weird dream I had some time ago? Pikachirate looked like he was also thinking about it, but he could not have had the same dream, could he? A flicker of intuition told me he had.

"And the Last Guardian will guide you to the first of destinations."

I did not know what was happening, but it felt like there was only us five on the square. The villagers stood at least three feet away from Xatu. I forgot about them for a moment.

Xatu turned around. "But be aware of the most terrifying danger and the oldest of all." Everyone was shocked by this announcement. It was what they had come for, but Xatu was not done yet.

"Forgotten by all, but still there, his anger will lead to destruction." He had raised his voice so he could be heard. It was silent enough that even a whisper would have been loud enough to be heard.

"He has been awakened by the mighty Earth last disastrous night." The villagers were frozen for quite some time, letting the information only they knew sink in.

Pikachirate was one of the frozen Pokémon. I looked up, to Esmeralda on his head, and she just ignored the tension. She was staring curiously at the Natu, who had turned on Xatu's head to face us. I had only 'seen' Xatu, paying no attention to the little Natu.

Xatu was staring me in the eyes. I had to look down. His position changing was frightening. "Find the Ancient Wisdom and use it correctly to save us all. Fate lies in you hands. The world will be saved by the Princess and the Pirate"- my head snapped up -"those who are as alike as can be in kind, but as far apart in social stands as could be possible." My fear was confirmed. This whole town would know now. Still, his words hit home. The differences and similarities between Pikachirate and I was enormous. Opposites attract, some comfort in that.

"Princess, Princess!" the Natu squeaked suddenly. It was the end of it. Pokémon were talking to each other about what Xatu and Natu had said.

The villagers were glad that disaster would not only strike the strangers; we, the strangers, would have to solve it ourselves. But that was not all. I could hear them say other things.

"She does look like the Princess," a _very_ tall Beartic murmured. Others made approving sounds.

"Yeah, she does." I did not hear the other comments, because Pikachirate was dragging me back to the inn quickly. My mind did not fully register what was happing at the moment. Before I knew it, we were standing around the table in the inn with the Crew. Pikachirate was leading this hasty gathering.

"We don't have much time," he stated. "We have to leave immediately." No one doubted the decision. They had done this before, probably. "Sneasel, Gengar, you are going to make the ship ready to go." They vanished directly, without saying anything.

"Roselia, could you help pack things in." It was not a question. Roselia knew that. Chansey and the younger Pokémon also started packing. I helped Chansey, not knowing what else I could do. I could hear Pikachirate say one last thing.

"Ditto and Mew, you are going to transform into Pichu and me and distract the village. That way they don't know we're gone until it's too late."

I could only hope everything would go well.

***Author Note - Looks like most of you didn't support the kiss/whole chapter. One out of thirteen thought it was worth reviewing. I know from experience that this rant won't make you (Signed In/anonymous) review. So now I will only look at you, with my Squirrel-eyes. (angry glare is meant for not-reviewing people/Pokémon/not-PM-ing people/Pokémon) *Stare, glare* **

**Yes, since it's a Pokémon fan base, _everyone_ is a Pokémon. Except us, as told earlier, we're Squirrels! (Oh no! You aren't reviewing because you think we're crazy! Or maybe because we're writing Squirrels. Just read our profile page - not the nonsense part of it! Bye! =D***


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